National rankings have called out Utah for years as one of the worst states for women, based on statistics about the wage gap, political representation and other factors.
Now, in a new statewide poll, Utah women reveal their own experiences living in the Beehive State — citing low wages and cultural expectations about gender roles as their biggest challenges.
And more than half of Utah women believe that they have a lower status than men in the state, the poll shows.
Utah Valley University professor Susan Madsen, who has been researching women’s roles and leadership in the state and has produced a decade of studies, was encouraged to see widespread recognition that Utah has a gender equality problem.