The Status of Women in the States project ranks and grades Maine across several areas of women’s lives. While Maine performs better in some areas, no matter the rank, there are still barriers and inequities that prevent women from succeeding and thriving. Across all indices, Maine ranks toward the top of states in the country. Maines’s performance is the strongest on the Political Participation and Reproductive Rights indices. Maines’s performance is weakest on the Employment and Earnings and the Health and Well-Being indices.
Explore the Data
As state policies and programs have changed over the years, so has the status of women in Maine. Since 1996, Maine has made progress in some areas, while lagging in others.
Articles and Publications
Women at Work Five Years Since the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Any Progress?
On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency in response to the COVID-19 virus and, subsequently, 42 states and territories issued mandatory stay-at-home orders. By April 2020, the overall rate of unemployment had spiked to 14.7 percent, up from 4.4 percent a [...]
The Intersection of Workplace Flexibility and Exercise by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
IWPR analyzed the American Time Use Survey Leave Module 2017–2018 to assess the relationship between workplace flexibility and workers’ likelihood of exercising. The analysis examines exercise rates when employees have greater control over when and where they work and compares those rates to workplaces [...]
Post-Roe, Employees Want—and Expect—Businesses to Help with Reproductive Health Access
A new IWPR survey of 10,000 adults, conducted with Morning Consult and the Center for Reproductive Rights, shows that abortion bans are deeply unpopular, particularly among younger individuals and those planning to have children soon, who prefer to work in areas where reproductive rights [...]
