Texas Is 2021’s 3rd worst state for Women’s Equality

Reprinted with permission from 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 2021, the U.S. failed to place in the top 10 — or even the top 25 — of the World Economic Forum’s ranking of 156 countries based on gender equality. The U.S. ranked 30th, which is better than last year’s rank of 53rd.

The workplace provides even more evidence of inequality. 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 27% of legislators and 25 percent of Fortune 500 board seats.

Women also faced inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women were initially laid off at a greater rate than men and re-employed more slowly. Luckily, the gap has begun to close – for example, more than half of job gains in May went to women, and the June unemployment rate for women was 5.5%, compared to 5.9% for men.

To determine where women receive the most equal treatment, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key indicators of gender equality. Our data set ranges from the gap between female and male executives to the disparity in unemployment rates for women and men.