Oklahoma ranked worst state for women in 2022

Mar. 2—A recent study found Oklahoma is considered the worst state to live in for women, highlighting poor outcomes in nearly every metric, including poverty, voter turnout and life expectancy.

Oklahoma jumped from 47th in 2021 to 51st in 2022, which is last overall, according to the annual WalletHub study.

The study ranked states based on 25 key metrics, with data set ranges including median earnings for female workers, women's preventive health care and female homicide rate.

Oklahoma was in the bottom 10 for five categories — it was 43rd in share of women in poverty, 46th in share of women who voted in the 2020 presidential election, 50th in the female uninsured rate, 46th in women's life expectancy at birth and 47th in women's preventative health care.

Jennie Sweet-Cushman, associate professor of Political Science at Chatham University, said states are diverging along two primary lines. She said states with liberal leadership are codifying reproductive rights and addressing findings of pay inequality and family leave, as conservative states are moving in the other direction with policy.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics regional commissioner Michael Hirniak, the 2020 women's-to-men's earnings ratio was 79.9% — 2.4% below the national average.

Sarah Rainey-Smithback, associate professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies at Bowling Green State University, said some states have addressed the pay gap by supporting initiatives that improve the salary of "positions women have typically gone into, such as nursing and teaching, and help women into higher-paying careers that have historically marginalized women."

Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzalez said lifestyle factors contribute greatly to the life expectancy metric. Aside from making healthcare more accessible and affordable for women, it's important to raise awareness and support them taking care of their health by quitting smoking, eating healthier, staying active and going to the doctor for regular screenings.

Oklahoma ranked 51st in the share of women in poverty and the affordability of doctor visits. Gonzales said these can be improved by ensuring there are equal employment opportunities for women as well as equal pay.

"Oklahoma also has a low share of women who voted in the last presidential election, just above 62%," Gonzales said. "This could be increased if more women were educated on the importance of voting, and encouraged to exercise their rights."

Jeff Elkins covers business, living and community stories for The Transcript. Reach him at jelkins@normantranscript.com or at @JeffElkins12 on Twitter.