The Constitution may pay lip service to the fact that all (wo)men are created equal, but let's be real — the status of women varies from region to region and heavily depends upon racial and economic factors. To analyze the best states for women to live in, a new survey by Wallethub compared statistics from all 50 states and Washington D.C. using 19 indicators that can be used to generally reflect women's wellbeing. These indicators include education rates, median income, the number of women-owned business in an area, female homicide rates, and more.
At a global perspective, the United States isn't one of the most hospitable countries for female folk. According to the U.N.'s 2015 Global Gender Gap Report, America ranks at #28 on the list, well below Iceland, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Namibia, South Africa, and Spain. A country's score is based upon wage equality, leadership roles in the workforce, and in politics, literacy rate, and life expectancy, and we have a long way to go before gender parity is reached. Still, there are places in the U.S. that seem to be well on the road to reaching that goal, while others fall farther and farther behind. Here are seven states that are great for women to live in — and why.
1Minnesota
Women have the highest rates of economic and social well being in the frosty, friendly state of Minnesota. (In Mississippi they have the lowest.)
2Hawaii
Hawaii not only has fantastic flora and fauna but boasts the highest health and safety ranking for women. At birth, women's life expectancy is longer than that of all other states, and Hawaii also has the lowest female homicide rate.
3Washington D.C.
Political drama might pervade out nation's capital, but Washington D.C. also offers the highest median income earnings for women. (Maine has the lowest.)
4Alaska
Alaska not only pays its residents to live there, but has the highest percentage of women-owned businesses, too.
5New Hampshire
The "live free or die" state has the lowest female high school dropout rate as well as the lowest percentage of women in poverty. (Alabama has the most women in poverty.)
6Nebraska
The land of Lincoln has the lowest unemployment rate for women, while California has the highest unemployment rate.
7Massachusetts
Women in Massachusetts are the most insured ladies in the land, compared with Georgian women, who are the least insured.
Although there are plenty of benefits to living in a red state, according to this survey, blue states still still beat them out overall when it comes to providing a healthy place for women to reside.
