North Dakota ranks in the Top 10 Worst States for Women

A new study published ranked the top 10 worst states for women and North Dakota falls on that list.

24/7 Wall St. published the list this week. The sad news is in many states, women still make up to 80% less than men in the same job and positions. California just passed a law for equal pay for women which is the first of its kind in the nation. Many other states have tried to pass such legislation but has failed across the board, which is a sad commentary.

One example from the story, a female makes a $38,941 annually. That is almost $10,000 less than the average salary of men who make an average of $48,745 on an annual basis.

The methodology used was -

24/7 Wall St. reviewed a range of economic, leadership, and health factors to identify the 10 worst states for women.

More on the methodology can be found here.

The top 10 are-

1. Utah
2. Wyoming
3. Idaho
4. North Dakota
5. Mississippi
6. South Dakota
7. Kansas
8. Indiana
9. Montana
10. Alabama

24/7 Wall St had this to say about NoDak-

Job discrimination is among the biggest drivers of the gender pay gap. The different likelihoods of men and women working in a particular industry is especially relevant in the case of North Dakota. A mining boom has added thousands of jobs in the state over the past five years, but men have filled the vast majority of these jobs. Women hold just 13.1% of mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction jobs, versus the national share of 14.1%. Women in these jobs also earn a fraction of what men in similar positions earn — women earn a median of $39,202, versus $85,159 for the typical man working in the industry. The degree to which female state residents are represented by female politicians also contributes to the gender gap. While a third of North Dakota’s congressional delegation are women — tied for the sixth highest share — fewer than one in five state representatives are women, one of the lower proportions nationwide.

That's a huge separation in pay between men and women in North Dakota. It would seem out state can do better. Does this surprise you?

(source)