Here’s How Sexist Virginia Is

A new study found that Virginia was among the less sexist states in the U.S. The study measured sexism in different states by using data from the General Social Survey, which has taken the pulse of people across the nation for decades on a variety of social issues.

Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Alabama and Utah are the most sexist states in the country, according to the study conducted by the University of Chicago, which used the national survey responses to create a scale of sexism.

Wyoming, Colorado, Hawaii, Connecticut and Vermont were among the least sexist states in the country.

Here are some of the questions people were asked in the General Social Survey:

• Would you vote for a female for President?
• Do you agree or disagree with this statement? "A working mother can establish just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother who does not work."
• Are men better suited emotionally for politics than most women?
• Do you agree or disagree? "Women should take care of running their home and leave running the country up to men" and “It is much better for everyone involved if the man is the achiever outside the home and woman takes care of the home and family."

A map compiled by The Washington Post shows just where each state falls on the scale generated by the study. The scale has seven degrees, from less sexist to more sexist, and the data put Virginia around three on the scale, meaning its residents are in the middle of spectrum, more sexist than neighboring Maryland but less sexist than West Virginia.

Virginia fell in line states like Michigan and Wisconsin as well as California and Oregon, where were also classified as less sexist but not the least.

“Sexism is highest in the Southeast and least extreme in New England and the West,” the researchers wrote.

What are the implications of living in a more or less sexist state?

Researchers said they found a correlation between the level of sexism in the state where a woman is born and how she lives her life; the higher the level of sexism, the lower the wages, labor force participation, and age at which a woman gets married and has a child.

Do you think Virginia is among the less sexist states in the country? Tell us in the comments!

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