Connecticut is the best state for women to work and live in, according to an assessment released in March compiling data from 12 sources. The report, titled “50 Best and Worst States for Women,” ranked states according to six criteria, and drew from such sources as the National Council of State Legislatures, National Women’s Law Center, National Partnership for Women & Families, the 2010 US Census FactFinder, and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
The ranking was compiled by iVillage, a popular content-driven website for women that is part of the NBC Universal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks Group.
Connecticut’s overall score was 8.9. After Connecticut, the top five states overall were Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, California, and Vermont.
Mississippi fell at the bottom of the list, receiving a score of only 1.7. The other lowest-scoring states were Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
iVllage’s six ranking criteria were weighted, with healthcare & wellness and economic well-being the most heavily weighted, followed by parenting and female representation in government office. The final two criteria, education and reproductive rights, were given the least weight. The report did not provide details about its weighting calculations.
Female earning power and education were two measures on which Connecicut scored well. According to the report, the median salary for women in the state is $46,000. Thirty-five percent of women in the state have a college degree, which is much higher than the national average of 28 percent.
Connecticut also got high marks because 90 percent of women in the state have health insurance, and nearly half of women have a healthy weight.
The major stumbling block for Connecticut was childcare, according to the report, which averages $12,600 per year. The state was also cited for having only one female in its seven-member Congressional delegation. Democrat Rosa De Lauro represents Connecticut’s third district, which includes West Haven, in the House of Representatives.
Connecticut did win some extra points, however, for being the first state to ever elect a female governor, Ella T. Grasso, in 1975.
