Economics
Ranking the U.S. States by Gender Equality
- Maryland ranks high on parity, No. 1 for women in leadership
- Fourth annual ranking measures how women fare relative to men
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Vermont was one of the first states to grant women partial voting rights, and nearly 140 years later, it remains a leader in equal opportunity for women. For the third year, the state tops Bloomberg’s annual ranking of the best states for gender parity, followed by Minnesota and Maryland.
Vermont’s high scores in five categories -- median pay ratio by gender, female labor-force participation, college-degree attainment, health coverage and women in poverty -- are related to the state’s progressive gender politics, according to University of Vermont economics professor Stephanie Seguino.