See How Rhode Island Ranks for Women
GoLocalProv News Team
See How Rhode Island Ranks for Women
According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Rhode Island is ranked 22nd in the country for women.
“In 2017, women in some parts of America still get the short end of the stick — even as they outnumber men in all but six states. For instance, women represent nearly two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers in the U.S. They also constituted the majority of poor, uninsured adults in the 19 states that had not expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act as of September 2016,” said WalletHub.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRhode Island ranks 32nd for women’s economic and social well-being, and 14th for women’s health and safety.
WalletHub also notes that RI has the fourth lowest female homicide rate in the country.
The Rankings
Rhode Island ranks behind Delaware and California who rank 20th and 21st respectively. Rhode Island ranks ahead of New Jersey and the District of Columbia who rank 23rd and 24th respectively.
Minnesota ranks as the best state in the country for women, while Mississippi ranks as the worst state of women.
See the Rankings in the Map Below
The Method
To find the best states for women, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, including “Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being” and “Women’s Health & Safety.”
They examined those dimensions using 19 metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for women.
WalletHub then calculated the overall score for each state and the District based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct the final ranking.
Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being – Total Points: 60
- Median Earnings for Female Workers: Full Weight (~5.45 Points)
- Unemployment Rate for Women: Full Weight (~5.45 Points)
- Share of Women Living in Poverty: Full Weight (~5.45 Points)
- Unaffordability of Doctor’s Visit: Full Weight (~5.45 Points)
- Share of Women-Owned Businesses: Full Weight (~5.45 Points)
- High School Dropout Rate for Women: Full Weight (~5.45 Points)
- Friendliness Toward Working Moms: Double Weight (~10.91 Points)
- Friendliness Toward Women’s Equality: Double Weight (~10.91 Points)
- Share of Women Who Voted in the 2012 Presidential Election: Full Weight (~5.45 Points)
Women’s Health Care & Safety – Total Points: 40
- Quality of Women’s Hospitals: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Female Uninsured Rate: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Share of Women with Good or Better Health: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Women’s Preventive Health Care: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Share of Physically Active Women: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Baby-Friendliness: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
- Women’s Life Expectancy at Birth: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Female Homicide Rate: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Prevalence of Rape Victimization Among Females: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
- Prevalence of Stalking Victimization Among Women: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Women Leading in Rhode Island
Carolyn Rafaelian
The founder and Creative Director of Alex and Ani, Rafaelian started the company in 2004 to produce jewelry to “adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit.”
Prior to founding Alex and Ani, Rafaelian produced designs for and co-owned Cinerama, her father’s jewelry manufacturing company. Now, in addition to Alex and Ani, Rafaelian owns Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard, and the café franchise Teas and Javas. Rafaelian received the 2012 Rhode Island Small Businessperson of the Year Award as well as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the products category for New England.
Cheryl Merchant
Merchant is the CEO and President of Hope Global, an engineered textile solutions company centered in Cumberland with plants and sales offices all over the world.
Merchant began her career as a production supervisor at General Motors, then worked at Mazda, Ford Motor Company, and Lear Corporation, and managed manufacturing plants in Mexico, Canada, Poland, England, and America.
In addition to her work with Hope Global, Merchant is an active member of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Commodores, and the Governor’s Economic Development Council, and is a trustee of Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council.
Cheryl Snead
Snead is the CEO of Banneker Industries, Inc., a supply chain management company in North Smithfield that has performed e-procurement, assembly, packaging, inventory management, warehousing and distribution services since its founding in 1991.
Snead has served as state delegate on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Advisory Council and received the 2009 New England Businesswoman of the Year Award and Women Business Enterprise National Council Star Award, among numerous others in year prior. She now serves on the Board of Directors of AMICA Insurance Company and is a member of the Rhode Island Commodores.
Cheryl Zimmerman
Zimmerman is the CEO and Chairman of the Board for FarSounder Inc., a Warwick based company specializing in sonar technology and born of Zimmerman’s achievement in the 2002 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition.
Since its inception, the company’s sales have grown exponentially and it has expanded to different markets within the nautical navigation industry.
Previously, Zimmerman has run numerous other businesses including a company for wholesale book selling and one for engineering services.
Christina Paxson
The nineteenth President of Brown University, Paxson had previously served as Dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Chair of its economics department, as well as Director and founder of an NIA Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging.
Paxson is an expert in public health, having conducted research on childhood health, AIDS in Africa, and Hurricane Katrina, among other topics.
Laurie White
White, the President of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, previously served as its Senior Vice President, and an executive counselor to the Governor in policy and communications. She is dedicated to strengthening the business community in Providence with focus on employment and retaining young, talented professionals to work in the state.
Nancy Carriuolo
Dr. Carriuolo is the ninth President of Rhode Island College. She has previously served as the Director of the Office of School/College Relations at NEASC and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences the University of New Haven.
She has written over thirty publications, featured in, among others, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Education Week. In 2009, she was named a CLADEA fellow, and she has served on the boards of many organizations, including the Journal of Developmental Education and New England Dollars for Scholars.
Sally Lapides
Lapides is the co-founder, President, and CEO of Rhode Island real estate firm Residential Properties.
Lapides has been quoted in many local and national publications as a real estate specialist. During her career, Lapides has served on the boards at the RISD Museum, Roger Williams University, Smith Hill Center, and Trinity Repertory Company, among others -- and as Chair of the Board of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Equity Action Campaign Committee, helped raise a million dollars for the Fund for the LGBT community.
Sandra Pattie
Pattie, the CEO and President of BankNewport and OceanPoint Financial Partners, MHC, began her career with the bank in 1984 as a consumer loan officer, rising through ranks and across different areas of expertise.
Pattie is a board member of the United Way of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Bankers Association as well as a trustee of the Community College of Rhode Island. She is also a certified financial planner and a member of the Board of Governors for Newport Hospital.
Trudy Coxe
Coxe is the Executive Director and CEO of the Preservation Society of Newport County. Before holding this position, Coxe served as the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs, Executive Director of Rhode Island’s Save the Bay, and Director of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Coxe has received numerous awards for her business success, including the 2011 Business Women Award for Overall Career Achievement from the Providence Business News. She also does extensive volunteer work, including sitting on the boards of Grow Smart Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Commodores. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Conservation Law Foundation and the Alumni Board of the Wheeler School.
