Ladies, if you're looking for your voice to be heard maybe the Ark-La-Tex isn't the place for you.

I'm so thankful that I grew up with parents who taught me to have a voice. They encouraged me in all things and never discouraged me from pursuing something new. This is so important for kids, regardless of their gender, but it can be even more important for young women to have this ingrained in their brains. Collectively, we already struggle with self confidence in the first place, but we could also use a change to the narrative when it comes to women we look up to.

The Center for American Progress reports that women make up the majority of the country and are neck-and-neck with men when it comes to college-educated workers in the labor force. There's no reason form this lack of confidence. In the words of Nike, "Just Do It." We're here and we're powerful. Unfortunately though, the state you live in can have an effect on the extent of that power.

WalletHub recently put out a list of the "Best and Worst States for Women's Equality" and the Ark-La-Tex looked pretty bad.

They took into account factors like the gap between male and female executives, unemployment rates for men and women, work hours, degrees, and more. Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana all fell in the bottom 10. Arkansas ranked at number 41 with Louisiana close behind at number 43. Texas landed at number 48 on the list making them one of the worst offenders.

Let's look deeper into the numbers.

Louisiana is tied for 45th place for having one of the largest income gaps in the nation. The Boot also is in last place when it comes to women represented in political positions. Arkansas showed some promise as they had one of the smallest gaps between genders attaining a bachelor's degree.

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