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
Threats to College Affordability: Impacts of the OBBB on Women and Families
In July 2025, President Trump signed the Republican-led H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) into law. The new law is a sweeping tax and spending package that forgoes trillions in federal revenues to award tax cuts to the wealthy while stripping essential [...]
Motivated but Underserved: Supporting Student Parents on the Path to a Bachelor’s Degree
Student parents—college students with dependent children—are highly motivated to succeed in college. They pursue degrees not only to achieve economic mobility for themselves but also to secure a better future for their children. Despite their high aspirations, they encounter significant barriers that contribute to [...]
Gender Wage Gap Worsens for Second Year in a Row
In 2024, women working full-time year-round made 80.9 cents per dollar earned by men (a wage gap of 19.1 percent)—a significant worsening of the gender earnings ratio compared to 82.7 cents per dollar in 2023 (a wage gap of 17.3 percent). This is the [...]
