(KTAL/KMSS) – A study conducted by WalletHub ranks Louisiana number 47 on their list of best states for women.
The study included all 50 states and the District of Columbia and looked at median earnings for female workers, women’s preventive health care, and the rate of homicides against women.
Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas neighboring states also find themselves in the bottom ten states for women.
According to the study, Louisiana has a high rate of women in poverty, low numbers of women who voted in the 2020 presidential election, and a high rate of female homicide. The state does not show up in any category with favorable rankings.
Data presented by the state’s Status of Women in Louisiana program shows that Lousiana ranks last in the U.S. for what women earn on average compared to men – 69 cents on the dollar; that amount is even lower for Black and Latina women.
That same study revealed that only 35 percent of new moms in Louisiana were able to take any form of leave after childbirth compared to the national average, which is 55 percent.
The grimmest statistic of them all is that Louisiana ranks second in the nation in women killed by men, that number has been increasing over the last six years.
If there is any bright spot for women in Louisiana who are living their best lives it is in the area of entrepreneurship. Nearly 40 percent of businesses in the state are owned by women.
