For more than 35 years, we’ve relied on research to ground our work, identify areas of improvement and spotlight solutions for advancing gender equity in our state. And now we want to share our latest research with you.
Unequal Plains: Examining the Gender Gap in Nebraska pairs quantitative analysis with powerful stories to reveal how economic insecurity intersects with caregiving, housing and health. It underscores a clear truth: our systems were not built for everyone. They especially weren’t built for Black women, Native women, Latina women, disabled women, LGBTQ+ people, rural women, and others who hold multiple marginalized identities.
“Listen to us. We’re the ones living these experiences, and we know what we need better than anyone else.”
This research may not be surprising to women in our state who continue to participate in the workforce, gain high levels of education and yet still struggle to make ends meet as they balance unpaid caregiving and unaffordable childcare with high costs of health and housing with limited support in place. But it does lay out how these issues compound and limit women’s ability to reach economic security.
Here’s a few of our key findings:
- Nebraska women have the third highest employment rate relative to other states, and women in Nebraska outpace men in higher levels of formal education and yet the gender wage gap is persisting.
- Women face a “motherhood penalty” where wages decline after having multiple children whereas men’s wage rise the more children they have.
- Nebraska women have a higher housing burden with an average cost that is approximately 19% more than men’s.
- About 1 in 3 insured women in Nebraska have publicly-provided health insurance such as Medicaid or Medicare yet many still struggle to afford or access the care they need.
- Women in Nebraska are 13% more likely than men to live at or near the poverty level. When directly asking if they felt financially secure, the vast majority of Nebraskans we spoke with said, “no.”
- Self-employment among women in Nebraska has increased from 27% in 2016 to 32% in 2021, indicating a shift toward flexible, independent ways of earning income.
Here’s the good news. We know what’s not working for women and we also know that by working together we can build new systems and change our communities, workplaces and policies to benefit all Nebraskans.
Download the Executive Summary and Full Report now at OmahaWomensFund.org/Unequal-Plains.