Source: The Atlantic
A new study conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shows that women in Southern states suffer worse pay and worst treatment in the workforce compared the rest of the US.
The study measures a number of variables in the workforce to compare results across states, including political participation, employment earnings, work and family, poverty and opportunity, reproductive rights, and health and well being. The results for Southern states were less than promising, with Alabama and Mississippi averaging a D – at the lower end and Virginia at the “higher end” of the spectrum, grading a C-. No states received anything higher than a C in the South.
In 2014 alone, the average woman in the South missed out on an annual $6,392 – which adds up to 155.4 billion annually for all women in the South. The reports predicted that it will take Southern states over 200 years to “achieve gender parity” in the state legislature.
While there are a few promising categories for women in the Southern workforce, such as easier access to childcare, their overall treatment in the workforce is discouraging compared to the rest of the country.
Read full story: The Atlantic