New Report Sheds Light On Women’s Struggles In Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News)  -- Women and girls in Minnesota continue to face inequities.  The Women's Foundation of Minnesota and the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy have released new research on the status of women and girls in Minnesota in economics, safety, health, and leadership.

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While Minnesota ranks second in the nation in women's workforce participation, at 79 percent, Minnesota women also earn the most postsecondary degrees, yet they remain in lower-paying industries.  On average, Minnesota women who work full-time all year earn 81 cents for every dollar men earn.  That wage gap can be more than $1 million over a lifetime.

The report says we could fill Target Field over 28 times with the number of Minnesota women who have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or bullying.  One in three Minnesota women reports sexual violence, and one in five reports physical violence from a partner in her lifetime.

Nearly two in three participants in Minnesota's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are women.

Corporate leadership in Minnesota remains dominated by white men.  In 2024, women held 23.7 percent of these offices in the state's largest publicly traded companies.  In politics, the proportion of women in the Minnesota Legislature has fallen slightly to 37 percent from its historic high of 39 percent in 2022.  On the local level, men continue to dominate county governments, and women are unrepresented in city offices and top school leadership positions.