WASHINGTON — Maryland makes the top five on a list of the best states for women to work and live.
Relocation company MoveHub put together a list based on gender pay gap, political representation in the state legislature, equality in education, accessibility to health insurance, reproductive rights and the number of incidents of violence against women at the hands of men.
The rankings represent which states perform best when it comes to protecting and promoting the welfare of their female citizens, MoveHub said.
Overall, the states that scored poorly in terms of political representation also did badly on equal pay and reproductive rights, which the company said indicates the quality of women’s lives is partly determined by inequality in government.
Hawaii scored the best, where only six percent of the female population does not have health insurance and had the lowest incidents of women being murdered by men.
Oklahoma was ranked as the worst state for women, scoring particularly poorly for women’s reproductive rights.
Five best states for women in 2017:
1. Hawaii
2. Vermont
3. Minnesota
4. Illinois
5. Maryland
Five worst states:
1. Oklahoma
2. Louisiana
3. Utah
4. Mississippi
5. South Carolina
You can see where all 50 states ranked (Virginia was No. 42) on MoveHub’s website.
