Indiana was recently ranked No. 20 out of 50 states for the Gender Gap Index according to the personal-finance website WalletHub.
“I understand Indiana’s ranking,” said Angel Winchester, a junior art major. “I feel like our culture is very conservative. We have more traditional values. Women belong in the house more often here.”
Women’s Equality Day, celebrated on Aug. 26, commemorates the day that the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed. While the amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was passed 97 years ago, Ball State students say there are still improvements to be made.
“We could be doing better,” said Josh Collins, a freshman undecided major. “We don’t have as many big cities and in big cities change happens more quickly. People here are just passive towards [women’s equality].”
Indiana ranked No. 20 for women’s equality in the workplace environment, No. 24 for education and health and No. 21 for political empowerment, according to WalletHub.
“It needs to be higher,” said sophomore dance major Adrian Chris Alora. “As a community, not just Ball State or Muncie, we need to put emphasis on all humans being equal.”
WalletHub ranked Hawaii as the best state for women’s equality while the worst state was Utah. Sophomore theater major Maria Fruit thought Indiana’s ranking should have been closer to Utah on the ranking scale.
“Misogyny is still a big part of lots of people where I come from,” Fruit said. “In southern Indiana, it’s very traditional. Men still think they are better than women.”
Overall, the U.S. ranks No. 40 out of 144 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index, according to WalletHub – falling 17 spots since the previous year.
“That’s real depressing,” Winchester said. “The U.S. is a powerhouse, our big thing is freedom and we are number 40?”
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