Women and Power in the United States: A Geographic Analysis of Government, Work, and Economic Status

This geographic analysis investigates the different ways that women hold power across the United States, primarily through government, work, and economic status. Political power is in this case represented through government representation at the national and state level. Economic power considers employment, income, occupation (specifically traditionally male fields of business and science), hours worked, and Forbes lists of the richest 400 people in the United States as well as the 500 CEOs of influential companies. Education was a third variable in the analysis since it exemplifies the power of knowledge and lends itself to the potential for political and economic power and change. Data obtained through the U.S. census, as well as government websites and Forbes lists of wealth and power was used to create ten maps that show various correlations and inequalities between the sexes. Although much progress has been made in recent decades, the marginalization of women remains a major problem in the United States, with large disparities in income, occupation, and political representation. Just two states have an equal or greater ratio of women to men serving in congress, only five states have a female governor, and women in state legislatures never even break the fifty-fifty sex ratio. Generally, occupations, education, and political representation are stronger in the Western United States and in the Northeast. The Midwest and the South expose major inequalities in these variables. This spatial analysis exposes target areas for improvement in social and structural equalities for women