Women have served in state legislatures in the United States since 1895. Their ranks have increased with the advent of nationwide women's suffrage after 1920. Although the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled since 1971 [2] , they remain underrepresented. In 2023, women held less than half of the seats in state legislatures across the majority of states [3] . Specifically, seven states —Oklahoma (19.2%), Louisiana (19.4%), Alabama (17.4%), South Carolina (14.8%), Mississippi (14.5%), Tennessee (14.4%), and West Virginia (11.9%)— had legislatures where women occupied less than 20% of the seats [3] .
Location | Rank | Senate | Senate ratio | House | House ratio | Overall ratio | Overall percent |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 46 | 3D, 1R | 4/35 | 10D, 10R | 20/105 | 24/140 | 17.1 |
Alaska | 25 | 2D, 3R | 5/20 | 7D, 6R, 2Ind | 15/40 | 20/60 | 33.3 |
Arizona | 2 | 11D, 5R | 16/30 | 20D, 9R | 29/60 | 45/90 | 50.0 |
Arkansas | 43 | 2D, 3R | 5/35 | 10D, 16R | 26/100 | 31/135 | 23.0 |
California | 11 | 15D, 3R | 18/40 | 27D, 5R | 32/80 | 50/120 | 41.7 |
Colorado | 3 | 11D, 2R | 13/35 | 30D, 5R | 35/65 | 48/100 | 48.0 |
Connecticut | 16 | 10D, 2R | 12/36 | 39D, 19R | 58/151 | 70/187 | 37.4 |
Delaware | 20 | 8D, 0R | 8/21 | 14D, 0R | 14/41 | 22/62 | 35.5 |
Florida | 12 | 7D, 9R | 16/40 | 25D, 15R | 50/120 | 66/160 | 41.3 |
Georgia | 21 | 14D, 2R | 16/56 | 46D, 19R | 65/180 | 81/236 | 34.3 |
Hawaii | 18 | 8D, 0R | 8/25 | 18D, 2R | 20/51 | 28/76 | 36.8 |
Idaho | 30 | 4D, 7R | 11/35 | 5D, 16R | 21/70 | 32/105 | 30.5 |
Illinois | 10 | 20D, 5R | 25/59 | 43D, 6R | 49/118 | 74/177 | 41.8 |
Indiana | 38 | 3D, 7R | 10/50 | 15D, 16R | 31/100 | 41/150 | 27.3 |
Iowa | 35 | 8D, 7R | 15/50 | 16D, 13R | 29/100 | 44/150 | 29.3 |
Kansas | 32 | 7D, 10R | 17/40 | 17D, 16R | 33/125 | 50/165 | 30.3 |
Kentucky | 31 | 4D, 5R | 9/38 | 15D, 18R | 33/100 | 42/138 | 30.4 |
Louisiana | 42 | 2D, 3R | 5/39 | 11D, 18R | 29/105 | 34/144 | 23.6 |
Maine | 7 | 11D, 3R | 14/35 | 48D, 19R | 67/151 | 81/186 | 43.5 |
Maryland | 9 | 14D, 1R | 15/47 | 57D, 7R | 64/141 | 79/188 | 42.0 |
Massachusetts | 29 | 11D, 0R | 11/40 | 46D, 4R, 1Ind | 51/160 | 62/200 | 31.0 |
Michigan | 14 | 12D, 3R | 15/38 | 31D, 12R | 43/110 | 58/148 | 39.2 |
Minnesota | 17 | 19D, 3R | 22/67 | 36D, 17R | 53/134 | 75/201 | 37.3 |
Mississippi | 47 | 2D, 7R | 9/52 | 7D, 9R, 2Ind | 18/122 | 27/174 | 15.5 |
Missouri | 36 | 5D, 7R | 12/34 | 28D, 17R | 45/163 | 57/197 | 28.9 |
Montana | 26 | 10D, 4R | 14/50 | 15D, 19R | 34/100 | 48/150 | 32.0 |
Nebraska | 19 | 18NP | 18/49 | n/a | unicameral | 18/49 | 36.7 |
Nevada | 1 | 9D, 4R | 13/21 | 20D, 5R | 25/42 | 38/63 | 60.3 |
New Hampshire | 15 | 7D, 5R | 12/24 | 101D, 49R | 150/400 | 162/424 | 38.2 |
New Jersey | 24 | 8D, 2R | 10/40 | 25D, 6R | 31/80 | 41/120 | 34.2 |
New Mexico | 6 | 10D, 1R | 11/42 | 31D, 7R | 38/70 | 49/112 | 43.8 |
New York | 21 | 17D, 3R | 20/63 | 50D, 3R | 53/150 | 73/213 | 34.3 |
North Carolina | 34 | 13D, 4R | 17/50 | 24D, 9R | 33/120 | 50/170 | 29.4 |
North Dakota | 41 | 1D, 7R | 8/47 | 9D, 18R | 27/94 | 35/141 | 24.8 |
Ohio | 37 | 3D, 5R | 8/33 | 13D, 17R | 30/99 | 38/132 | 28.8 |
Oklahoma | 45 | 5D, 5R | 10/48 | 10D, 9R | 19/101 | 29/149 | 19.5 |
Oregon | 13 | 7D, 2R | 9/30 | 18D, 10R | 28/60 | 37/90 | 41.1 |
Pennsylvania | 26 | 8D, 9R | 17/50 | 37D, 27R | 64/203 | 81/253 | 32.0 |
Rhode Island | 8 | 14D, 2R | 16/38 | 30D, 3R | 33/75 | 49/113 | 43.4 |
South Carolina | 49 | 1D, 3R, 1nd | 5/46 | 8D, 12R | 20/124 | 25/170 | 14.7 |
South Dakota | 39 | 2D, 5R | 7/35 | 4D, 17R | 21/70 | 28/105 | 26.7 |
Tennessee | 48 | 5D, 3R | 8/33 | 3D, 9R | 12/99 | 20/132 | 15.2 |
Texas | 33 | 4D, 4R | 8/31 | 32D, 14R | 46/150 | 54/181 | 29.8 |
Utah | 40 | 5D, 2R | 7/29 | 8D, 12R | 20/75 | 27/104 | 26.0 |
Vermont | 5 | 12D, 0R | 12/30 | 58D, 9R, 2Ind | 69/150 | 81/180 | 45.0 |
Virginia | 21 | 11D, 3R | 14/40 | 27D, 7R | 34/100 | 48/140 | 34.3 |
Washington | 4 | 15D, 5R | 20/49 | 35D, 12R | 47/98 | 67/147 | 45.6 |
Washington, D.C. | N/A | 4D, 1Ind | 5/13 | n/a | unicameral | 5/13 | 38.5 |
West Virginia | 50 | 0D, 4R | 4/34 | 2D, 11R | 13/100 | 17/134 | 12.7 |
Wisconsin | 28 | 5D, 3R | 8/33 | 20D, 13R | 33/99 | 41/132 | 31.1 |
Wyoming | 44 | 0D, 7R | 7/31 | 3D, 10R | 13/62 | 20/93 | 21.5 |
Note: 24 female legislators overall in Puerto Rico. Affiliations: 8 PNP, 11 PPD, 5 Third Party. [1]
Location | Rank | Senate | Senate ratio | House | House ratio | Overall ratio | Overall percent |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Samoa | 5 | 1Ind | 1/18 | 1 | 1/21 | 2/39 | 5.1 |
Guam | 1 | 4D, 2R | 6/15 | n/a | unicameral | 6/15 | 40.0 |
Northern Mariana Islands | 4 | 2D, 1Ind | 3/9 | 1D, 2I | 3/20 | 6/29 | 20.7 |
Puerto Rico | 3 | 13Ind | 13/27 | n/a | 11Ind | 24/78 | 30.8 |
U.S. Virgin Islands | 2 | 4D, 1Ind | 5/16 | n/a | unicameral | 5/16 | 31.3 |
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The first women to serve in any state legislature were Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly and Frances S. Klock, who were all elected in 1894 to the Colorado State House of Representatives. [4] All three were elected the year after women in Colorado obtained the right to vote through popular election in 1893. [5] As Secretary of the House Republican Caucus, Cressingham was the first woman to fill a leadership position in an American legislature. [6] In 1896, Martha Hughes Cannon became the first woman elected to an upper body of a state legislature when she defeated her own husband, Angus M. Cannon, for a seat in the Utah State Senate. [7] [8]
The 50th state to see the debut of female state legislators in their lower house was Hawaii in 1959, who elected Dorothy Devereux and Eureka Forbes to their House of Representatives upon admittance to statehood. Alabama's Senate was the 50th upper house to welcome women when Ann Bedsole and Frances Strong joined the Senate in 1983. [9]
In 2016, the highest shares of female members of a state legislature - at least 35% per state legislature - were in Colorado (30/65 in the House, 12/35 in the Senate), Vermont (65/150 in the House, 9/30 in the Senate), and Arizona (19/60 in the House, 13/30 in the Senate). [10] The shares in Colorado and Vermont decreased to below 40% in 2017, while Arizona, Illinois, Nevada and Washington all saw their numbers increase up to between 35% and 39%. Altogether in 2017, women constitute 24.8% of all state legislators in the United States, [11] a ratio that has increased by less than 4 percentage points since 1994.
Only four chambers have reached a near or absolute majority of women:
Leadership positions at the state legislatures include senate presidents, presidents pro tempore, house speakers, majority and minority leaders of the senate and house. In 2023, women held leadership positions in 35 state senates and in 32 state houses, which corresponds to 26% of 350 positions [21] . 44 women (34D, 10R) serve in these leadership roles at State Senates and 47 (36D, 11R) serve at the State Houses [21] . Nine states (AL, IN, KY, MS, NE, SC, SD, TX, WY) have no women in leadership positions.
There are 10 (9D, 1R) women currently serving as the speakers of State Houses.
Cathy Tilton (R-AK)
Julie McCluskie (D-CO)
Valerie Longhurst (D-DE)
Adrienne A. Jones (D-MD)
Rachel Talbot Ross (D-ME)
Melissa Hortman (D-MN)
Julie Fahey (D-OR)
Joanna McClinton (D-PA)
Jill Krowinski (D-VT)
Laurie Jinkins (D-WA)
There are 15 (11D, 4R) women currently serving as Presidents or Presidents Pro Tem of State Senates.
Kathleen Passidomo (R-FL)
Michelle Kidani (D-HI)
Amy Sinclair (R-IA)
Regina Ashford Barrow (D-LA)
Karen Spilka (D-MA)
Ann H. Rest (D-MN)
Shirley Turner (D-NJ)
Mimi Stewart (D-NM)
Pat Spearman (D-NV)
Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-NY)
Kim L. Ward (R-PA)
Hanna M. Gallo (D-RI)
Louise Lucas (D-VA)
Karen Keiser (D-WA)
Donna J. Boley (R-WV)
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recognizing the right of women to vote. The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels, and was part of the worldwide movement towards women's suffrage and part of the wider women's rights movement. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. However, a suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby go into effect, on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.
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The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution, adopted in 1968, defines the role of the legislature and how it is to be constituted. The legislature is composed of 160 state legislators. The primary purpose of the legislature is to enact new laws and amend or repeal existing laws. It meets in the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee.
The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each district having 75,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms, and are limited to four consecutive terms in office, but can run again after a four-year respite.
The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, adopted in 1963. The primary purpose of the Legislature is to enact new laws and amend or repeal existing laws.
The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, the state legislature meets in the Capitol Complex in the state capital of Phoenix. Created by the Arizona Constitution upon statehood in 1912, the Arizona State Legislature met biennially until 1950. Today, they meet annually.
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's budget. The upper house of the Oklahoma Legislature is the Oklahoma Senate.
Judy Eason McIntyre is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A Democrat, McIntyre served as an Oklahoma state Senator from 2004 to 2012 representing District 11, which includes Osage and Tulsa counties. She also served as State Representative from 2002 to 2004 representing District 73 where she was the first freshman appointed to the Speaker's Leadership Team. For the 16 years before her election to the Oklahoma Legislature, she was an elected board member for the Tulsa Public Schools in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Clara Cressingham was one of the first women elected to serve in any state legislature in the United States. She was also the first woman to serve in a leadership position in any state legislature.
The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Established in 1971, it is nationally and internationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about U.S. women's political participation. Its mission is "to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women's participation in politics and government and to enhance women's influence and leadership in public life."
Gloria Travis Tanner was a politician and public figure in Colorado. A Democrat, she served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1985-1994. In 1994, she became the first African American woman to serve as a Colorado state senator. In 2000, she founded a leadership and training institute for black women in Colorado. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2002.
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