Women’s Equality Day 2018: How Minnesota Ranks

MINNESOTA — Women won the right to vote nearly a century ago this month after a long, arduous fight, but continue to struggle in all 50 states for full equality, according to a study released ahead of Women’s Equality Day, observed annually on Aug. 26 to commemorate passage of the 19th Amendment.

However, there’s good news for Minnesota. The Land of 10,000 Lakes ranks as the second-best state in the country for women, coming in second to New York.

For all of its progress on women’s equality issues, the United States doesn’t place in the top 10 of the World Economic Forum’s ranking of 144 countries based on gender equality. In fact, the United States slipped four points in 2017, to 49th from 45th the year earlier.

Women make up 50 percent of the U.S. population, but are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions — representing only 25 percent of legislators and 29 percent of business executives, according to a study by the American Association of University Women.

Apart from unequal representation in executive leadership, salary inequity has been central to the gender-gap debate. Few experts dispute there’s an earnings gap between men and women, but do disagree on the proper method of measuring that disparity.

The WalletHub analysis said New York, Minnesota, Maine, Nevada, Hawaii and Delaware are the best states for women’s equality.

At the bottom of the ranking are Utah, Idaho, Texas, Arizona and Virginia.

Here are some specific findings:

• In every state, women earn less than men. Vermont has the lowest gap, with women earning 9.8 percent less, whereas Utah has the highest, 30.1 percent.

• In nearly every state, women represent the highest share of minimum-wage workers. Delaware has an equal ratio of females to males. Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, New Hampshire and North Dakota have the highest minimum-wage workers gap at 50 percent.

• Alaska has the highest unemployment-rate gap favoring women, with 2.9 percent more unemployed men. Arizona has the highest gap favoring men, with 1.3 percent more unemployed women. The unemployment rate is equal for men and women in Mississippi, South Dakota and North Carolina.

• In every state legislature, male lawmakers outnumber their female counterparts. Arizona and Vermont have the lowest gap, with 33.33 percent more males. Wyoming has the highest, with 87.50 percent more males.

For more, go to WalletHub.

Photo: Fans of the Minnesota Vikings celebrate a win after a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Vikings defeated the Titans 25-16. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)