Bernie Sanders’ state is least sexist in US, study says

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Vermont, the constituency of Democratic presidential nomination hopeful Bernie Sanders is the best state for basic gender equality, according to a Bloomberg report.

The analysis has ranked Vermont best for the fourth year in the row in a study that measures college degree attainment and labour force participation among women, alongside the gender pay ratio.

Bloomberg's report showed that "more than 80% of female Vermonters - among those ages 20-64 - are working and typically earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by male counterparts", putting it at the top of the state leaderboard.

New York, Washington and Pennsylvania made the biggest improvements in gender equality in that time with Maryland found to be the best state for female leadership for the fifth year in a row.

The Bloomberg report also found that states controlled by Democrat politicians were better for women than those controlled by Republicans.​

This study comes a day after the Institute for Women’s Policy Research released a press release highlighting how much more needs to be done to reach gender equality.

Their analysis of data by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University showed that women won't reach parity in congress until 2108.

C. Nicole Mason, Ph.D., President and CEO of IWPR explained why she thinks gender equality is so important.

“Women’s voices are integral to building strong communities and a vibrant democracy, making them essential in governing this country,”

Both reports were released in time for International Woman’s Day on 8 March.