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
Forecasting Pay Equity: Women Are Expected to Wait Over 50 Years to Reach Parity with Men
If progress continues at the same rate as it has since 2000, it will take more than four decades—until 2066— for women working full-time year-round to reach pay equity with men and even longer—until 2088—to reach pay equity between all working women and men. [...]
Women Servers Earn Significantly Less than Their Male Counterparts
In 2023, 2.2 million people worked as servers in the United States, of which almost two-thirds were women. Additionally, most workers earning a tipped minimum wage were employed in the restaurant industry. This quick figure explores disparities among servers across gender, race, and ethnicity. [...]
State by State, Mothers Are Paid Much Less than Fathers
Mothers’ earnings are crucial for their own and their families’ economic security. Mothers are more likely than ever to be in the labor market: almost three-quarters (74.0 percent) of mothers of children under 18 were employed or looking for work in 2023, a higher [...]
