During the fall of 2023, Utah Women & Leadership Project researchers conducted a survey for Utahns to reflect on what opportunities and challenges Utah women and girls face.
According to the research, Utah ranks as the worst state for women’s equality and has low levels of women’s leadership representation.
Over 2,000 people participated in this 80-item online survey that also included 13 additional demographic questions and two open-ended questions regarding challenges and opportunities.
Susan Madsen, the founding director of UWLP, said participants saw room for improvement.
“What I found interesting about this is people turn the challenges into saying, well, we're so low in this one area, so there are so many opportunities for us to get better. And I love that approach in a lot of ways,” Madsen said.
Following the survey, the project published the research and policy brief and listed the top seven opportunities for women, which included:
- Employment options
- Education
- Embracing potential
- Supporting personal choices
- Connecting together for change
- Supporting women in leadership and office
- Increasing awareness of community resources
Madsen said the last opportunity, increasing awareness of community resources, is what she is especially appreciates, because with more awareness, women can find help for their specific needs.
“There really are a lot of resources, like the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, they have a lot of grants. But most people, even women who want to start businesses, they don't know about the funding," Madsen said. "So it's interesting because if you're in this space, you see all of it. But so many people are not and don't see it."
