Why Utah’s Low Ranking on WalletHub’s Women’s Equality Index Misses Key Factors
The author argues that WalletHub’s methodology for ranking Utah as the worst state for women’s equality is overly narrow, ignoring marital status, motherhood and faith-based factors that shape women’s well-being.
WalletHub’s “women’s equality” ranking places Utah at the bottom by measuring disparities in earnings, work hours, executive roles, education and political office, assuming any gap signals inequality. The commentary notes that Utah consistently tops U.S. News & World Report’s overall state rankings and leads the nation in happiness, retiree contentment and marriage rates, which the author says are overlooked by WalletHub.
Because many Utah women are married and benefit from dual-income households, they often opt for part-time or home-focused roles, a choice the index misinterprets as disadvantage. Research from BYU Wheatley Institute and Utah State University links strong marriages and regular religious practice to higher life satisfaction for women. The article calls for a more comprehensive metric that accounts for marital status, motherhood and faith-based support, while also highlighting the need to assist single mothers in the state.
Why it matters
Understanding how equality metrics are built helps readers assess whether rankings truly reflect women’s lived experiences.
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