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 Earn Less Than Men Whether They Work in the Same or in Different Occupations
In 2022, women earned less than men for full-time weekly work in almost all occupations, including in 19 of the largest 20 occupations for women, and in all of the largest 20 occupations for men. Teaching Assistants (median weekly earnings of $662) is the [...]
The Gender Pay Gap, 1985 to 2021—with Forecast for Achieving Pay Equity, by Race and Ethnicity
Download Quick Figure If progress continues at the same rate as it has since 1985, it will take until almost another 200 years – until 2210 – for Hispanic or Latina women to reach pay equity with White men, and for Black women [...]
Gender and Racial Wage Gaps Persist as the Economy Recovers
Download Fact Sheet Download Quick Figure As a sign of the uneven recovery in 2021, gender wage gaps narrowed while median earnings fell marginally. Research Highlights As the economy slowly recovered from the COVID-19 “She-cession” and women and men began [...]
