Equality for Women Stateside Is Elusive

While equality for women is much better stateside than worldwide, inequities persist. There is no coincidence that the best places for women are "blue" states and thw worst for women are "red" states. Unfortunately, voting women didn't vote in their best interests this time. If we can answer the question "why?", we may turn the next election.

For women, equality elusive

Life has improved for U.S. women over the past 40 years, but big inequities persist and they vary substantially by state, according to an assessment released Tuesday.

Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut and Washington are the best states for women, concluded the Institute for Women's Policy Research, an arm of George Washington University. That is based on the group's analysis of political participation, employment and earnings, social and economic autonomy, access to sex education and family-planning resources and general health.

By those measures, the toughest states for women are Mississippi, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Florida rated a "dishonorable mention," one step above the lowest-ranked group.

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For women, equality elusive

San Jose Mercury News - November 17, 2004

Life has improved for U.S. women over the past 40 years, but big inequities persist and they vary substantially by state, according to an assessment released Tuesday.

Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut and Washington are the best states for women, concluded the Institute for Women's Policy Research, an arm of George Washington University. That is based on the group's analysis of political participation, employment and earnings, social and economic autonomy, access to sex education and family-planning resources and general health.

By those measures, the toughest states for women are Mississippi, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Florida rated a "dishonorable mention," one step above the lowest-ranked group.

California ranks in the middle in the national survey. The state received a "B" for political participation by women, a "B" for employment and earnings and a "B-plus" for reproductive rights.

The state, however, was given a "C" for women's social and economic autonomy and a "C" for health and well-being.

There were some improvements nationwide, researchers found: a jump in the number of female governors from one to nine since 1996; a drop in annual female mortality rates from suicide and breast cancer; and a narrowing of the wage gap between men and women since 1989.

On the other hand, the percentage of women living below the poverty line increased in 11 states from 1995 to 2002. The number of female state legislators increased only slightly from 20.8 percent to 22.5 percent in the past eight years.

For its figures, the institute relied largely on the 2000 census and the 2002-2003 Current Population Survey.

The most important disparities are in pay between women and men, said Heidi Hartmann, the institute's president, and they are even greater when race is considered.

"Wherever you go in America, women are shortchanged," she said. "And women of color fare far worse than white women."

American women earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn, the institute found. If the gap shrinks at the current rate, it will persist for 50 years.

Black women make 63 cents for every dollar a white man earns and Latino women make just over 50 cents, according to the study.

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