By Nicki Gorny
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research last year ranked Florida among the worst states for women, based on a wide variety of data sets that covered poverty rates, reproductive rights and political participation, among numerous other considerations. Tied with Texas at No. 47 for a D-plus rating, Florida was beat out by just four states with worse records by institute standards.
Julie Anderson, an institute research associate working on the county-by-county study, said that much of the data she is compiling is standard for the organization, which has been compiling reports since 1996 and has consequently developed a set of indicators they believe are valuable in gauging the status of women in a community.