Report: Indiana Earns A "D" For Economic Status Of Women

Indiana ranks 43rd overall for women’s economic status.

(Undated) - Women in Indiana face among the toughest conditions to succeed than those in almost any other state.

The Institute for Women's Policy Research ranks Indiana in the bottom third of the country for the economic status of women. The state rankings appear in the institute’s Status of Women in the States report, which rates states in six categories: employment and earnings, political participation, poverty and opportunity, reproductive rights, health and well-being, and work and family.

For the third straight year, Indiana received a composite grade of D, or 43rd overall, for women’s economic status. The state ranks last in the U.S. in the work and family category, with a grade of F. Indiana’s highest grade is a C- in political participation.

During the 2018 legislative session, there were bills filed regarding equal pay, paid family leave, and workplace accommodations for pregnant women. None, however, were passed.

"The Indiana legislature has yet to make improving women’s economic status a priority,” said Indiana Institute for Working Families policy analyst Erin Macey. “It’s not surprising that we have seen no progress on these measures.”

According to the report, Indiana women will not see equal pay until the year 2082, if current trends continue.

Ohio earned a C- in the same report. Kentucky received a D+.