Utah ranked as worst state for women’s equality — WalletHub

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utah is dead last in the U.S. when it comes to women’s equality, according to a recent study. The Beehive State came 50th in two out of three equality-based dimensions compared against other states.

According to a study from WalletHub, out of all 50 states, Utah is the worst for women’s equality. This study compared U.S. states across metrics like workplace equality, women’s education and health, and political empowerment for women. Below are the lowest-ranked states in the U.S.

45. Oklahoma
46. Louisiana
47. Arkansas
48. Idaho
49. Texas
50. Utah

Why did Utah come in last place?

According to the WalletHub study, Utah has some of the least equal workplaces in the U.S., and when compared against other states’ workplace environments, Utah was last place again.

The Beehive State has the second-largest income gap between men and women, and the fourth-largest gap between men and women who hold executive positions. The study also reportedly found that Utah women had the largest work hours gap, meaning they were working fewer paid hours than men overall.

Another dimension where Utah was ranked 50th was education and health. According to the study, Utah has the largest educational attainment gap in the U.S. This means that men are overall reaching higher levels of education (such as master’s or PhD degrees) than women in Utah.

The third and final dimension that states were compared across was political empowerment. Utah was ranked 28th in this category. Using metrics like disparity in share of lawmakers in the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, state legislature, and state-elected executives, the Beehive State was able to edge forward in the race. Although it didn’t impact Utah’s overall ranking of last place, it goes to show that Utah has a decent amount of female representation in government.

For more information about how this study was performed and the methodology behind it, visit WalletHub’s website.