With Women’s Equality Day around the corner and women losing their jobs at a greater rate than men during the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality.

The report does not bode well for California, which ranks No. 1 for the earnings gap between men and women.

While racial inequality has been in the spotlight during 2020, it’s important to make sure we don’t overlook gender inequality, according to Adam McCann, financial writer for WalletHub. Women’s rights in the U.S. have made leaps and bounds since the passage of the 19th Amendment, yet many women still struggle to break the glass ceiling because of unequal treatment in society. Unfortunately, the gender gap in 21st century America has only expanded. In 2020, the U.S. failed to place in the top 10 — or even the top 50 — of the World Economic Forum’s ranking of 153 countries based on gender equality. In fact, the U.S. dropped to 53rd position from its previous rank of 51st.

The workplace provides even more evidence of the issue. Despite their advances toward social equality, women are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions. Women make up more than 50 percent of the population, but constitute only around 24 percent of legislators and 25 percent of Fortune 500 board seats.

According to the  report, this year, women also face inequality when it comes to unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women have been laid off at a greater rate than men, and are also getting re-employed more slowly. In addition, the share of the workforce that is female is now at its lowest point since 2008.

To find out the best and worst states for Women’s Equality, check out this video.

In order to determine where women receive the most equal treatment in American society, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key metrics. The data set ranges from the gap between female and male executives to the disparity in unemployment rates for women and men.

Women’s Equality in California (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

  • 1st – Earnings Gap
  • 7th – Work Hours Gap
  • 4th – Minimum-Wage Workers Gap
  • 1st – Unemployment Rate Gap
  • 16th – Entrepreneurship Rate Gap
  • 10th – Political Representation Gap

For the full report, click here.

Image Sources

  • Women’s Equality Day: Shutterstock