Video: Newly Released Women’s Study

COLUMBUS, Miss.(WCBI)–It’s no secret, Mississippi is high on the list of the poorest states to live in. A new study, released by Wallet hub, shows things aren’t really improving, especially for women.

“I would really like to see change especially in my state,”said Mississippi University for Women student Annalee Fairly.

Since 1848, women have been fighting for equality in the United states and M.U.W. Professor of Women’s studies Dr. Bridget Pieschel says the fight continues for a number of reasons.

” Economically women are at the bottom in Mississippi. We have the highest poverty level among women in all 50 states and women in Mississippi today, at birth, have the shortest life expectancy of any women in the United States. That’s very frightening, and that’s because they don’t have access to good healthcare; they often are paid less for the same jobs that they are working for, and it’s a difficult hole to try and get out of.”

Fairly says this new study doesn’t surprise her.

” We have a nostalgia for the past. We believe that we have values, and these values are not necessarily values to other people, and they’ve just been raised that way by their parents or past ancestors. We hold on to the past a lot and that’s why I believe we are the last state to change,”said Fairly.

Mississippi ranks 50th in the category of women’s economic and social well-being and 48th in women’s health and safety rank. Pieschel says there is one fundamental change that will help right away.

” What you can do for women in poverty is get them higher education I think at M.U.W. we are particularly successful at educating women. We graduate at a higher level a much higher level than the other I.H.L. institutions in the system and our population is still over 80 percent female so what we are doing is giving Mississippi women a step up in economics,education and a better life,”said Pieschel.

Fairly says she received offers from out of state universities but she felt it was her duty to stay.

” So many people leave Mississippi, and those are the people who want change. I think with so many people leaving the state it’s never going to change. ‘Cause the people who do want change just go, and I don’t blame them. I think that’s why I didn’t go to school somewhere else, because I knew if I left that would be just another voice,”said Fairly.

Alabama came in at number 49 of worst states for women to live.