Idaho Ranks as One of The Worst States for Women’s Equality

How can I lightly put this... life is kind of unfair for women in Idaho. We're all aware that nationwide women face inequalities on a daily basis. Here in the Gem State, though the inequalities are glaring. 

A study from Wallethub compared the 50 states across 17 key indicators in the categories of workplace environment, education & health, and political empowerment of gender equality. Idaho ranked almost dead last in several categories and ultimately was ranked 49 out of 50 making it the second-worst state for women's equality.

Idaho has one of the largest incomes gaps and ranks 47th in that category. We're also ranked 47th in the largest work hour gap. Another study showed that women in Idaho effectively stop getting paid on October 1st and start working for free based on the gender pay gap. That's basically three months of unpaid labor for women. On top of that, Idaho had the second-largest educational attainment gap among advanced degree holders ranking 49th.

The study also found that women are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions across the country and faced inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially being laid off at a greater rate than men and re-employed more slowly.

"We need a cultural movement to change biases regarding gender in leadership which includes media coverage of women’s achievements, creating awareness of the benefits of historically feminine traits and practices, and zero tolerance for perpetuating gendered stereotypes through informal jokes side talk," says Elisha Marr Ph.D. Associate Professor of Sociology, Director of Gender Studies at Calvin University.

Utah came in dead last in the 50th spot. The top 5 best states for women's equality according to Wallethub are Nevada, Hawaii, Vermont, Maine, and New York.