Texas ranked among WORST states in the US for women’s equality, report says

TEXAS – As Women’s Equality Day approaches, a new report from the personal finance website WalletHub reveals troubling news for Texas.

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The Lone Star State ranks 49th out of 50 in the 2024 Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality report, underscoring significant disparities in gender equality across various metrics.

The study evaluates states across 17 key indicators, including income gaps, executive position disparities, and unemployment rates between men and women. Alarmingly, Texas demonstrates substantial gaps in several critical areas.

Key findings for Texas include:

• Earnings Gap: Texas ranks 21st, indicating a moderate disparity in income between men and women.
• Executive Positions Gap: The state holds the 32nd position, reflecting a considerable gap in the number of women in executive roles compared to men.
• Work Hours Gap: Texas ranks 22nd in the difference between hours worked by men and women.
• Unemployment Rate Gap: At 40th place, Texas shows a significant disparity in unemployment rates between genders.
• Entrepreneurship Rate Gap: Ranking 21st, the state shows some progress in the rate of female entrepreneurship.
• Political Representation Gap: Texas ranks 40th, highlighting a significant gap in political representation between men and women.

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“The workplace provides even more evidence of inequality. Despite advances toward social equality, women are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions,” the study read. “Women make up more than 50% of the population but constitute only around 28% of legislators and 9% of S&P 500 CEOs.”

This overall ranking places Texas near the bottom in the nation for gender equality, reflecting enduring challenges for women in the state. As the U.S. continues to rank 43rd worldwide for gender equality, this report calls attention to the urgent need for policy interventions and societal changes to address these disparities.

When asked how inflation affects the gender pay gap, University of Houston Professor/Director of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies & Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality Elizabeth Gregory said, ”people with higher wages are more likely to receive raises at or over the inflation rate, and due to the current gender pay gap, that skews to men. A recent survey found that men are 33.3% more likely than women to have their salary keep up with inflation. This negatively affects both families headed by single moms and households with two earners.”

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The Top 5 States for Women’s Equality were listed as Hawaii, California, Minnesota, Maine, and New Mexico.