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
As Apprenticeships Expand, Breaking Down Occupational Segregation Is Key to Women’s Economic Success
Apprenticeships are structured training programs that combine paid on-the-job learning with classroom instruction and provide a pathway to industry-recognized qualifications in in-demand occupations. For workers, the apprenticeship route can offer an alternative to traditional college (and college debt), yet traditionally, women have been much [...]
Numbers Matter: Women Working in Construction
In 2023, the number of women working in the trades reached the highest level ever, with 363,651 working in construction and extraction occupations. In the five years since 2018, the number of tradeswomen increased by more than 80,000, a growth of 28.3 percent. Construction [...]
IWPR 2023 Annual Report
This moment in history is unlike any other. The attacks on women’s health, freedom, and autonomy have come fast and furious. Basic rights that took decades to secure are being stripped away in mere months. Pay equity, workforce protections, reproductive rights, health care—all are [...]
