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<p>10 Worst States for Women</p>
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<p>The U.S. could elect the first female president in its history
this November. For many advocates, representation in the nation’s
highest office could lead to meaningful progress for women’s
rights, potentially addressing some of the severe inequalities the
nation has yet to overcome.
</p>
<p>These issues include a gender pay gap, a lack of flexibility in
the workplace during pregnancy and early motherhood, and, indeed,
a lack of women holding positions of political influence. While
some states have made progress, a number of states are far behind
in closing the earnings gap, electing women to office, funding
pre-K programs, and passing laws that allow women to stay in the
workforce when they have children, should they so choose. 24/7
Wall St. reviewed and ranked the 50 states based on their
favorability to women. These are the 10 worst states for women.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Perhaps the most egregious component of gender inequality in the
U.S. is the wage gap. Though the severity of the wage gap varies
by state, nationwide, the typical woman working full time earns 80
cents for every dollar a man earns. No state has a larger gap than
Wyoming, however, where women earn roughly 64 cents for every
dollar. With lower incomes, women are also far more likely to live
in poverty than men.The U.S. could elect the first female
president in its history this November. For many advocates,
representation in the nation’s highest office could lead to
meaningful progress for women’s rights, potentially addressing
some of the severe inequalities the nation has yet to overcome.
</p>
<p>These issues include a gender pay gap, a lack of flexibility in
the workplace during pregnancy and early motherhood, and, indeed,
a lack of women holding positions of political influence. While
some states have made progress, a number of states are far behind
in closing the earnings gap, electing women to office, funding
pre-K programs, and passing laws that allow women to stay in the
workforce when they have children, should they so choose. 24/7
Wall St. reviewed and ranked the 50 states based on their
favorability to women. These are the 10 worst states for women.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Perhaps the most egregious component of gender inequality in the
U.S. is the wage gap. Though the severity of the wage gap varies
by state, nationwide, the typical woman working full time earns 80
cents for every dollar a man earns. No state has a larger gap than
Wyoming, however, where women earn roughly 64 cents for every
dollar. With lower incomes, women are also far more likely to live
in poverty than men.</p>
<p>In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Julie Anderson, a research
associate at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, explained
why the wage gap exists. According to Anderson, “the largest
contributor to the wage gap is occupational segregation.” Men are
more likely to be hired in higher paying, managerial roles than
women. Though the share ranges from state to state, nationwide,
fewer than 40% of management positions are held by women.</p>
<p>According to Anderson, women are also far more likely than men to
work in low wage, part-time jobs. Since the wage gap only measures
the incomes of men and women working full time, the problem is
even more pronounced than the data indicates.</p>
<p>Maternity, Anderson explained, can lead to lower overall incomes
for women, particularly as raising a child can often lead women to
exit the workforce for good. “If a family has to choose between
someone being fully engaged in work and someone being a caregiver,
the logical choice is the one who earns less will be the one to
back off, and in most cases that will be the woman in the family.”</p>
<p>While the Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993 mandates that
most working mothers must be allowed 12 weeks maternity leave, a
number of states have additional policies in place both for public
employees and the private sector workforce. Many states extend the
minimum number of weeks, allow women to use sick days to cover
pre- and post-natal care, and, in some cases, mandate paid leave
for both mothers and fathers.</p>
<p>Another state policy that has shown to be advantageous to young
mothers is a taxpayer-funded pre-Kindergarten program. Besides
being instrumental in childhood development, pre-K programs give
parents the opportunity to leave their children somewhere safe
during the day.</p>
<p>Anderson explained that as mothers are more often tasked with the
responsibility of watching young children, this means women avoid
the expenses of private daycare, and also will have an easier time
returning to the workforce. Eight states have no taxpayer-funded
pre-K, and partially as a result rank among the worst for women in
the country.</p>
<p>Female representation in government is also an important aspect
of gender equality, and elected government positions are held
primarily by men. Nearly half of all states have never had a
female governor and women comprise an average of less than 25% of
state legislatures. According to Anderson, this is problematic
both because it may discourage women from running for elected
office and because male politicians are less likely to implement
reform related to gender equality. Anderson explained that while
women are less likely to run for office, when they do, they tend
win at the same rates as men.</p>
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<p><strong>3. Idaho </strong><br>
<strong>> Female earnings as pct. of male:</strong> 73.5% (8th
lowest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. mgmt. jobs held by women:</strong> 38.8% (19th
lowest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. 3-4 yr. olds enrolled in state pre-K:</strong>
0% (the lowest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. legislative seats held by women:</strong> 27.6%
(17th highest)</p>
<p>The earnings gap between men and women in Idaho is one of the
worst in the country. The typical male in the state working full
time earns $43,264, while the typical working female earns only
$31,808, the lowest median salary of any state except Mississippi.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In addition to earning less, women are underrepresented in public
office. All four of the state’s congressional delegates are men
and a woman has never been elected governor of Idaho.</p>
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<p><b>Ken</b></p>
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