Georgia is one of the worst states for women. See why here

Women in Georgia may be struggling more than your average American woman.

Why is that?

According to a new study by WalletHub, the Peach State ranks 46th on a list of the best U.S. states for women, which means Georgia is among the worst in the country.

Even though women make up almost 51% of the country’s population and outnumber men in several states, women in America only represent 24% of the Senate and 28% of the House of Representatives.

WalletHub’s study looked at 25 metrics and then assigned a grade to each metric; the grades were then ranked and categorized in either “Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being” or “Women’s Health Care & Safety” categories.

Factors such as number of female workers, unemployment rate for women, high school graduation rate for women, poverty rate, health care and insurance rates for women were all included in the methodology for the study.

For Georgia, the high school graduation rate and number of uninsured women are extremely low. Here’s a breakdown of the scoring:

• Total score out of 100: 39.22

• Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being ranking: 49

• Women’s Health Care & Safety ranking: 37

• Overall rank: 46

Nationwide, when looking for a state to live in, experts say women should look out for several things:

“First, consider the state’s education environment, which includes higher education attainment and opportunities,” said Susan R. Madsen, professor of leadership at Utah State University. “Second, consider the political and civic representation of women at all levels of society. Third, it is essential to look at safety and security elements throughout the state.”

Madsen also urges women to look at physical and mental health care options, as well as work environment and workplace culture in the state they are living in or are moving to in the future.

Here are the best places for women, according to the study by WalletHub:

• Vermont

• New York

• Massachusetts

• Minnesota

• Connecticut

• District of Columbia

• Washington

• Rhode Island

• Hawaii

• New Jersey

And here are the bottom five states in the study:

• Alabama (ranked 47th)

• Arkansas (48th)

• Louisiana (49)

• Mississippi (50)

• Oklahoma (51)

This story was originally published April 4, 2023 at 5:00 AM.

Chelsea Madden

The Telegraph

Chelsea is a service journalism reporter who began working for McClatchy in 2022. She was born and raised in Middle Georgia and lives in Forsyth. She attended Wesleyan College for undergrad and a few years after that, went to SCAD for an MFA in writing. Outside of work, Chelsea likes to watch Netflix, read books in the thriller genre and chase her toddler around.