Equality & Belonging – Resource Kit
Dr. Susan R. Madsen, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) team, and A Bolder Way Forward Belonging Teams have worked to curate a collection of recommended resources around the topic of equality and belonging. This includes UWLP research and materials as well as valuable contributions from statewide and national community partners and organizations. Not all “belonging” areas are included; also see Aging, Sexism, Women of Color, and other resource kits. To get involved in positive change, take action by exploring what you can do as individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Research Reports
- Safety First: The Health Implications of Social Belonging Among Utah Women - 2023
- The Economic Circumstances of Sexual Minority Women in Utah 2022
- The Leadership Development Gained by Women Serving Full-Time Missions - 2020
- Utah Women’s Equality Report Discussion Summary - 2021
Forbes Articles
- All Unconscious Bias Training Is Not Equal - 2020
- Keep The Right People at the Table and Don’t Just Settle For “Good” Decisions - 2020
- Why Do Some Women Justify Gender Inequity? - 2024
LinkedIn Articles
- A State-By-State Ranking by Gender: Where Does Utah Fall on Claiming Leadership Skills?
- Another U.S. Ranking for Women – Power and Influence: Where Does Utah Rank?
- New Findings – It’s Getting Better/No Issues Here & All Should Be Treated Equally
- Research: Top 11 Challenges Women Face in Utah
- Study Highlights Top Seven Opportunities for Utah Girls and Women
- Takeaways from “Diversity wins: How inclusion matters” by McKinsey & Company
- The Concept of “Uncovering”: How Does This Relate to Women and Leadership?
- The Health Implications of Social Belonging Among Utah Women
- The Impact of Fathering Daughters on Men’s Gender Equality Preferences
- Understanding Gender in More Depth Is Critical
- What Matters Most to Utahns? An Analysis by Gender
- Why I Struggle Using the Term “Feminism”
- Why Utah Is Ranked as the Worst State for Women’s Equality, And What Can Be Done
Editorials
- “This the Place” is Still True for Utah (Deseret News, 2019)
- As We Continue to Reopen, Don’t Forget the Vulnerable (Deseret News, 2020)
- Belonging Doesn’t Happen Without These 4 Things (Deseret News, 2022)
- Best and Worst States for Women in 2024 – We Aren’t at the Bottom at Least! (The Ogden Standard, 2024)
- Best And Worst States for Women in 2024 – Where Does Utah Rank? (Utah News Dispatch, 2025)
- By Lifting Women, You Also Lift Men and Families (Deseret News, 2019)
- Change Is Uncomfortable, But We Need Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies (Deseret News, 2023)
- Elevating Women Elevates All of Us (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2021)
- Female-Empowering Movies to Watch This Holiday Season (Deseret News, 2020)
- Happy Women’s Equality Day (Deseret News, 2019)
- Helping Those at a Disadvantage Doesn’t Cost Anything (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2023)
- Honor International Women’s Day by Becoming Empowered as Global Citizens (Daily Herald, 2020)
- How Did Utah Rank on WalletHub's “2019's Best & Worst States for Women"? (The Spectrum, 2019)
- In Utah, A Woman’s Choice Can Often Be an Illusion (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2025)
- International Women’s Day: Let’s Do More Than Just Celebrate (Public Square Magazine, 2021)
- Is Utah Making Progress in Best and Worst State Rankings for Women? (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2015)
- Latest Data on Women’s Equality Raises Questions for Utah (Deseret News, 2023)
- Not A Shock, But Men and Women Are Not the Same (Deseret News, 2024)
- Our Political Dialogue Ignores Nuance. Truth Requires More Than That (Deseret News, 2021)
- Ranking The Best and Worst States for Women (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2023)
- The Best States for Women’s Health – How Does Utah Fare? (The City Journals, 2025)
- There Can Be an Inclusive Face to Conservatism (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2020)
- There’s No Excuse in 2021 For the Lack of Gender Diversity in Boardrooms (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2021)
- Utah Has Slipped Away from Its Founding Principles of Inclusion and Respect (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2024)
- Utah Is Still the Worst State for Women’s Equality. But Has Anything Changed? (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2022)
- Utah Ranks Worst for Women’s Equality, 10 Years Running ( George News, 2024)
- Utah Still Takes Steps on the Path to Equality (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2020)
- Utah’s Cities Are Designed for Men. Here’s How We Make Them More Inclusive (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2024)
- We Need to Address the Problem of Bathroom Equity (Deseret News, 2023)
- We’re At the Bottom Rung: Let’s Start Climbing! (Standard-Examiner, 2019)
- Where Does Utah Rank on 2022’s ‘Best & Worst States for Working Moms? (The Salt Lake Tribune, 2022)
- Why Just Talking About Diversity Won’t Help Utah Move Forward (Deseret News, 2022)
- Women Face the Danger of 'Either/Or' and the Power of 'And' (Salt Lake Tribune, 2019)
Handouts
- Conversation Guide - Utah Women & Disabilities
- Conversation Guide: Utah, Women, & Belonging
- Conversation Guide: Utah Women & Neurodiversity
- Disabilities: What Utahns Need to Know
- Interfaith: What Utahns Need to Know
- LGBTQ+: What Utahns Need to Know
- Neurodiversity: What Utahns Need to Know
Community Research & Articles
- Assistive Technology: Opportunities For Societal Inclusion Of Persons With Disabilities And Independence of the Elderly (Springer Nature, 2023)
- Barriers in Access To Healthcare For Women With Disabilities (Springer Nature, 2021)
- Best & Worst States for Women's Equality (2026) (WalletHub, 2026)
- Beyond Good Intentions: Overcoming Barriers For Researchers With A Disability (American Psychological Association, 2025)
- Breast Cancer Knowledge Among Women With Learning Disabilities And Their Experiences Of Breast Mammography (Springer Nature, 2010)
- Bridgebuilding in Higher Education: A Landscape Analysis (Interfaith America, 2024)
- IDEALS Research (Interfaith America)
- Interfaith Groups as Mediating Structures for Political Action: A Multilevel Analysis (National Library of Medicine, 2017)
- Our Companies Need Diversity (Utah Business, 2019)
- Prevalence of Chronic Health Conditions Among People With Disabilities (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2025)
- Promising Revelations: Undoing the False Impressions of America’s Faithful (More in Common, 2024)
- The Connection Opportunity: Insights for Bringing Americans Together Across Difference (More in Common, 2025)
If you have any changes or additions, please email UWLP@usu.edu.
- Big Religion Chart: Compare World Religions (Religion Facts, 2026)
- Bridgebuilder Basics (Interfaith America)
- LGBTQ Community Resources (Visit Salt Lake)
- More Than Half Podcast (PBS Utah)
- My Faith in a Minute Podcast (USU Interfaith Fellows)
- School Climate for LGBTQ+ Students in Utah (GLSEN, 2021)
- Searching for a New Paradigm: Collective Settings (More in Common, 2023)
- Student Health And Risk Prevention: SHARP Survey – Results for Gay or Lesbian Students (Utah Department of Health & Human Services, 2023)
- Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce SafeZone Resources (Utah LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce)
- Utah LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Plan 2020-2023 (Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition, 2019)
- We are Utah: A Toolkit for Building Belonging in the Workplace (The Center for Economic Opportunity & Belonging)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic
- Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition
- Disability Law Center (DLC)
- Disability:IN Utah
- Division of Services for People with Disabilities
- Emerald Hills Institute
- Enable Utah
- Encircle
- Equality Utah
- Family Equality
- Family Promise – Salt Lake City
- Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy – Utah Office
- Human Rights Campaign
- IncludEd United
- Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice
- Interfaith America
- Learning Disabilities Association of Utah (LDAU)
- Lift & Love
- Mama Dragons
- Mosaic Inter-Faith Ministries
- Multiply Goodness
- Queer Spectra
- Quilters Without Borders Interfaith Service Group
- Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable
- Services for People with Disabilities
- St. George Interfaith Council
- Student Alliance of Interfaith Leaders (SUU)
- The Neurodiversity Clinic
- The Pluralism Project
- The Trevor Project
- Utah 3Rs Project
- Utah Center for Evidence Based Treatment
- Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault
- Utah Developmental Disabilities Council
- Utah Disability Services
- Utah Independent Living Center (UILC)
- Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce
- Utah Parent Center: Embracing Neurodiversity
- Utah Pride Center
- Utah Pride Interfaith Coalition
- Utah Valley Interfaith Association
- Utah Women & Leadership Project
- Western Educational Equity Assistance Center