NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSBORNE) -- A new report suggests the fortunes of Tennessee women continue to fall, in spite of the recent #MeToo movement and other efforts to improve their lives.
Our reporting partners at Wallethub.com are out with their annual ranking of 2018’s Best and Worst States for Women. The study looks at 25 metrics, including wages, employment rates, social well-being along with health and safety.
Not only does Tennessee rank in the bottom half, coming in a 38th, but analyst Jill Gonzalez says the state’s ranking has fallen three years in a row.
“Last year it was 34th. So still not in the top half, but a few spots better. The year before that, in 2016, it actually ranked 27th, so even closer toward the top here.”
Gonzalez says Tennessee women are pulling down respectable wages, but joblessness among female workers has actually risen, in spite of record employment statewide.
Gonzalez says Tennessee fared better than many of its neighbors, but that’s little consolation since most southern states ranked in the bottom half.
“So Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas were all in the bottom five here. Alabama did the best at 47th, Mississippi 49th, Arkansas 50th. Kentucky did a little better at 34th. North Carolina did the best at 30th.
In addition to that regional trend Gonzalez says the study also shows a political trend. The states where women are doing best are largely Democratic, while the state’s with the worst scores are predominately Republican.
You can review the complete study here.