Three Questions About…Power

Where women have the most (and least) of it, from a new study by Dr. C. Nicole Mason

By Shannon Melero

Last month, the new initiative Future Forward Women published its first U.S. Women’s Power and Influence Index, a state-by-state breakdown of where women have the most and least overall power—as measured by education, economic status, political inclusion, and a dozen more key indicators. The report found that Alabama is the lowest-ranking state, with women wielding the least overall power there, and the highest-ranking isn’t even a state—it’s the District of Columbia.

We asked Future Forward Women president Dr. C. Nicole Mason three questions about what it all means.

First, how did you define“power” for this research? 

For me, “power” is the ability to influence or direct the actions of a group or society toward a specific desired outcome. I started with the premise that although women are 50 percent of the U.S. population, we are still the most likely to live in poverty, to experience sexual harassment or gender-based violence, and to live in states where we don’t have complete bodily autonomy. Politically, we hold less than a third of elected offices. 

I wanted to understand why—and the why for me was power; we don’t have enough of it. Or at least not enough to…pass common-sense laws and policies that would make our lives better and easier. In our society, it’s not okay for women to say or admit they want power—but that’s what we need, especially right now. 

Which finding surprised you the most?

The states of Florida and Texas ranked third and fourth in terms of women’s political power and influence [but ranked 25th and 45th, respectively, in terms of the overall power women wield, because of economic and health disadvantages women experience]. What we observed is that even though both Texas and Florida have high numbers of women in their state legislatures, Congress, and executive leadership positions, that’s not enough. Yes, we want women in political office, but these women and men must support policies favorable to women and families.

Washington, DC, ranked number one in the index because DC has the highest median earnings for women in the nation, along with high levels of education. However, across all states, without exception, women of color are not doing as well as their white counterparts. For example, in the District of Columbia, the poverty rates for Black women are notably high. There is not a single state where women of color are faring [just as] well or better than other women.

What are the most important takeaways from the report?

We need to decide that it’s not okay for state borders to determine the rights that women have or don’t have in this country. It wasn’t okay 400 years ago and is not okay now. 

For new models and inspiration, we should look to other countries [that have achieved] what we want—universal childcare, paid sick and family leave, reproductive freedom—or that have faced similar threats to democracy and the erosion of rights, and learn from them. 

We should also go to the hardest things first—including the states where women have the least power and influence—and build there. We’ve learned that not going to those states can and will cost us because they become the testing ground for bad policies. Living in a high-power state will not protect you. We are in this together. 

Lastly, we need to have radical imaginations, dream big, and say what we want out loud to inspire others to join us. We need everyone, in their own way, to help us win big.