Women Lead in Minnesota, but Gaps Persist, New Report Finds

The 2026 Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota report calls for public and private sector actions to address disparities

Women in Minnesota lead the nation in workforce participation and educational attainment, yet persistent inequities in pay, safety, health and leadership continue to cost many more than $1 million over a lifetime, according to a report released Tuesday.

The 2026 Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota report, produced by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, details disparities affecting women, girls and gender-expansive people across the state.

“We must close the gaps in earnings, safety, health, and leadership – especially for Black, Indigenous, and women of color,” said Gloria Perez, president and CEO of the Women’s Foundation. “All women and girls deserve equal access to opportunities. When we invest in women and girls, families and communities thrive.”

The biennial report, first published in 2009, analyzes data across economics, safety, health and leadership. Researchers draw from sources including the American Community Survey, state agencies and public health surveys to track long-term trends.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing gender inequalities,” said Christina Ewig, faculty director of the Center and lead researcher on the report. “Understanding how gender, race, place, sexuality, and dis/ability shape life chances and outcomes is key to crafting responses that address the unique disparities faced by different groups.”

Stubborn wage gap

Minnesota ranks second in the nation for women’s workforce participation, with 79% of women ages 16 to 64 employed. Yet the gender wage gap has remained largely unchanged over the past decade. Women working full time, year-round earn 81 cents for every dollar earned by men, the same as in 2016, Ewig said.

Disparities widen by race and ethnicity. Black women earn 61 cents and Latina women 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men. Hmong women earn 59 cents, and Somali women 58 cents, compared with white men’s earnings, according to the report.

Over a lifetime, those gaps compound. Black, Latina and Native American women in Minnesota lose more than $1 million in earnings, while Asian women lose an estimated $745,640.

Unpaid caregiving responsibilities further widen disparities. Nearly 78% of mothers with children under 6 are in the workforce, and many are primary breadwinners. Still, high child care costs remain a barrier. Ninety-three percent of two-parent families in Minnesota spend more than the federal guideline of 7% of income on child care, with even white two-parent families spending about 16% on average.

Safety and health disparities

The report highlights the prevalence of gender-based violence.

“We could fill Target Field 28 times with the number of Minnesota women that have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking,” Ewig said.

One in three Minnesota women report experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime, and one in five report physical violence from a partner. Two-thirds of LGBTQ+ Minnesotans reported experiencing discrimination or harassment in the past year.

Health disparities also persist, particularly for women of color and those in rural areas. Native women report the highest rate of inadequate prenatal care at 54%, followed by Black women at 38%. Forty-five percent of Minnesota counties lack birth services, and only 27% of the state’s demand for mental health professionals is currently met.

Sen. Alice Mann, D-Edina, said women continue to face systemic barriers in health care and representation.

“In 2026, we are still asking health insurance companies to cover the health care that women need and are paying for, but cannot get,” Mann said. “Women represent 50% of the population, and yet we are still fighting for equal representation and access to all arenas from health care to workforce, equal pay, to basic safety.”

Mann also pointed to high maternal mortality rates in the United States, particularly among women of color. “In America, women have the highest mortality rate, the highest death rates of any other industrialized country in the world,” she said.

Leadership gaps remain

While women hold 51% of jobs statewide, leadership positions remain disproportionately male. In 2024, women held 23.7% of C-suite roles in Minnesota’s largest publicly traded companies, and just 2.4% of executive positions were held by women of color.

In the Minnesota Legislature, women now make up 37% of members, down slightly from a high of 39% in 2022.

“Women are leading,” Perez said. “But at that current rate, it would still take 53 years to reach gender parity in those spaces.”

Matt Varilek, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, said the findings align with his agency’s mission to grow the state’s economy inclusively.

“It matters to us all,” Varilek said. “We know from this report that much of the extension that needs to happen relates to gender.”

Varilek highlighted the state’s new paid family and medical leave program, launched this year. About 20,000 Minnesotans have been approved for leave so far, and 69% of current recipients are women, he said. The program also includes safety leave for survivors of domestic violence.

Call for systemic change

The report calls for raising wages in female-dominated occupations, expanding access to high-paying trades, subsidizing high-quality child care, strengthening pay equity policies and increasing investments in community-based solutions.

“This research is a call to increase investments and community solutions and to identify opportunities for systems change,” Perez said. “Let me be plain: this report shows that while women are leading in their families and communities … our systems do not work for all of us.”

The report was released during Women’s History Month and ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. Leaders from the Women’s Foundation said they will continue advocating for policies that advance equity across Minnesota.