California on 2016 Top 5 List For Best States for Women’s Equality

As a whole, the U.S. is abysmal when compared to other industrial nations when looking at gender equality. In 2015, the U.S. tumbled 8 positions to number 28 on the World Economic Forum’s ranking of the most gender-equal countries.

Here in California we can take solace that we’re among the best states for women’s equality, including tying for the top position for equality in attaining a higher education. We’re also near the top for gender-equal political representation, according to a recently completed study by WalletHub.

California didn’t fare as well in executive pay disparity, failing to make the Top 5 list. WalletHub points out that this is an ongoing problem nationwide, noting that the Center for American Progress reports that women “are only 25 percent of executive and senior level officials and managers, hold only 19 percent of board seats, and are only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs.” And though they constitute the majority of the financial-services and health-care labor forces, not a single woman in these fields helms her organization.

The Top 5 States for Women’s Equality 2016:

1. Hawaii, total score 81.67
2. Alaska, total score 72.46
3. Maine, total score 69.49
4. California, total score 69.10
5. Vermont, total score 68.16

The Bottom 5 States for Women’s Equality 2016:

46. Louisiana, total score 45.45
47. Pennsylvania, total score 45.15
48. New Jersey, total score 44.97
49. Georgia, total score 44.46
50. Utah, total score 33.70

Methodology
To gauge the scope of gender-based disparities in the U.S., WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Workplace Environment, 2) Education and 3) Political Empowerment.
They evaluated these categories using 15 relevant metrics, collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Women's Law Center, National Center for Educational Statistics, Center for American Women and Politics, and Ballotpedia.

— Image via WalletHub