If you're a women living in one of these 10 states, your state is paying you less than a man and not really doing much about it. Here's a list of senators, complete with Twitter handles, so you can stand up for your equal rights.
Wyoming
With a whooping 13 percent below the national earnings ratio of 77 percent, Wyoming is in dead last with women making only 64 percent of what a Wyoming man does, according to AAUW.
Mississippi, South Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin, Alabama
Many states have implemented legal enforcements to aid in the fight to close the wage gap. However, there are five that still have no equal pay laws. If you're a woman in Mississippi, South Carolina, Utah, Alabama or Wisconsin, you may want to write a letter to your state representative.
New York
This state is typically seen as a fairly progressive one, but the state government's reluctance to pass Governor Andrew Cuomo's Women's Equality Act says otherwise. While the bill passed in the New York State House in January, it failed to pass in the Senate, mostly due to a hotly debated tenth point that gives a woman 24 weeks into a pregnancy to be eligible for an abortion. The bill was proposed in 2013 and has yet to become a law.
Louisiana
Louisiana is the worst state in the nation for working mothers, WalletHub says. The site looked at three factors when making their final list—childcare, professional opportunities, and work-life balance. It's losing spot in the overall ranking makes sense—in the categories of childcare and professional opportunities, the home of the Big Easy ranked last.
New Hampshire
This state isn't doing well in terms of the pay gap—they're at an earnings ratio of 77 percent. Hear what one of their government officials has to say, and you'll get an idea of why. State representative Will Infantine claims that men make more money than women because they worker longer, more dangerous, and in general, harder: "Men by and large make more because of some of the things they do. Their jobs are, by and large, more riskier," he says. "Women make half of what men do because of flexibility of work, men are more motivated by money than women are." But not all hope is lost in the Granite State—the NH House preliminarily voted yes to the state's Paycheck Equity Act.
Texas
On a national level, President Obama reproached the Senate Republicans for blocking the passage of a long awaited Equal Pay bill, particularly in the state of Texas, by restricting voters.
Utah
There aren't many women at the top in Utah—their female to male executive ratio is the lowest in the nation at just over 26 percent, according to WalletHub.
Mississippi
This state may just miss the bottom ten in terms of earning ratio, but Mississippi is the state where women make the least—the median income for a woman is just $30,287. However, that's not all that's the lowest in this southern state—childcare costs are the least expensive there too.
Washington
Wyoming is the state with the worst earnings ratio in the U.S., but it isn't home to the worst city. According to a study done by the National Partnership for Women & Families, that honor goes to Seattle, Washington, where women make just 73 cents to every man's dollar. Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Detroit follow the Pacific Northwest metropolis.
Related:
The States That Are Working to End the Pay Gap for Women
The FULL LIST of Senators to Contact About Your Equal Pay
Why You Should Care About Equal Pay
Want to Find Out What Your Co-Worker's Make?
The Real Reason Why Companies Don't Want to Pay You Fairly
Photo Credit: Getty Images
-
We Found Hollywood's Favorite Alternative to the Slim Sneaker TrendJennifer Lawrence and Dakota Johnson are both obsessed.
-
Hailey Bieber Is the Best Possible Spokeswoman for Capri LeggingsI'm suddenly inspired to give them a shot.
-
The Chanel 25 Has More Range Than Any Other It-BagNo other style has such a broad—and famous—fan base.
-
36 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to MenFeatures It's just one of the many ways women still aren't equal to men.
-
EMILY's List President Laphonza Butler Has Big Plans for the OrganizationUnder Butler's leadership, the largest resource for women in politics aims to expand Black political power and become more accessible for candidates across the nation.
-
Want to Fight for Abortion Rights in Texas? Raise Your Voice to State LegislatorsEmily Cain, executive director of EMILY's List and and former Minority Leader in Maine, says that to stop the assault on reproductive rights, we need to start demanding more from our state legislatures.
-
Your Abortion Questions, AnsweredHere, MC debunks common abortion myths you may be increasingly hearing since Texas' near-total abortion ban went into effect.
-
The Future of Afghan Women and Girls Depends on What We Do NextBetween the U.S. occupation and the Taliban, supporting resettlement for Afghan women and vulnerable individuals is long overdue.
-
How to Help Afghanistan Refugees and Those Who Need AidHow To With the situation rapidly evolving, organizations are desperate for help.
-
It’s Time to Give Domestic Workers the Protections They DeserveThe National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, reintroduced today, would establish a new set of standards for the people who work in our homes and take a vital step towards racial and gender equity.
-
The Biden Administration Announced It Will Remove the Hyde AmendmentThe pledge was just one of many gender equity commitments made by the administration, including the creation of the first U.S. National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence.
