WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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A report looking at the economic opportunity for women across the country, gave Indiana a ‘D’ for the second year in a row.
The report is published by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a non-profit group that conducts research and policy analysis for inequality issues facing women. The report is split into six different categories; political participation, employment and earnings, poverty and opportunity, reproductive rights, health and well-being, and work and family.
Indiana scored the lowest in the nation, 51st out of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in the work and family category.
Indiana Institute for Working Families Policy Analyst Erin Macey says the report looks at several different factors to determine the state’s overall grade and individual category scores. For example, the political participation category looks at women in elected office, percent of women registered to vote and the percent who actually voted. Political participation was also the state’s highest scored category, coming in at a C- or 20th in the nation.
According to Macey, there are several different approaches the state could take to help the economic status of women.
The state’s overall score has remained stagnant over the past several years. Macey says that’s not surprising, given the lack of legislation addressing gender inequality.
