In the past century, since the passage of the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, Americans developed nuclear bombs, traveled to space and invented the Internet. But the country has not come even close to achieving equal representation for women and men in politics.
Women in office
Men
Democratic
Republican
All parties
Independent
Women
50%
U.S. Senate
26%
U.S. House
23%
Governor
18%
Lt. Governor
35%
State legis.
29%
Mayor*
27%
President
0%
*100 largest cities.
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
at Rutgers University
Women in office
Men
Democratic
Republican
All parties
Independent
Women
50%
U.S. Senate
26%
U.S. House
23%
Governor
18%
Lt. Governor
35%
State legis.
29%
Mayor*
27%
President
0%
*100 largest cities.
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
at Rutgers University
Women in office
Men
Democratic
Republican
Independent
All parties
U.S.
Senate
U.S.
House
Governor
Lt.
Governor
State
legis.
Mayor*
President
50%
Women
26%
23%
18%
35%
29%
27%
0%
*100 largest cities.
Source: Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University
The United States is 83rd in a global ranking of women in the lower house of the legislature, right between Tajikistan and Armenia. Here’s how it compares with other Group of Seven countries:
G-7 countries
50%
Women
France
39.5%
Italy
36%
Britain
34%
Germany
31%
Canada
29%
United States
23%
Japan
10%
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union’s rank of
women in the lower house of the legislature.
G-7 countries
Women
50%
France
39.5%
Italy
36%
Britain
34%
Germany
31%
Canada
29%
United
States
23%
Japan
10%
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union’s rank of women in the
lower house of the legislature.
G-7 countries
France
Italy
Britain
Germany
Canada
United
States
Japan
50%
Women
39.5%
36%
34%
31%
29%
23%
10%
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union’s rank of women in the lower house of the legislature.
Men have dominated U.S. politics for most of the country’s history, and remain in control of the vast share of elective offices long after women secured the right to vote.
Share of men and women
in the U.S. Congress
100%
Men
80
60
40
Women
20
1789
1850
1900
1950
2020
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Share of men and women in Congress
100%
Men
80
60
40
20
Women
1789
1850
1900
1950
2020
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Share of men and women in Congress
100%
Men
80
60
40
20
Women
1789
1850
1900
1950
2020
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Only in 1992 did women start to make a dent in that reality. That year, a record number of women ran for office, prompted in part by the treatment of Anita Hill during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas the year before — by the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee. In what became known as the Year of the Woman, more than two dozen women were elected to Congress.
Since then, the number of women in Congress has continued to grow, a development largely led by the Democratic Party. Nonetheless, women still hold a disproportionately small share of seats:
Percentage of women in each party
U.S. House
U.S. Senate
Dem.
Rep.
Dem.
Rep.
50%
38%
women
7%
38%
17%
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Percentage of women in each party
U.S. House
U.S. Senate
Dem.
Rep.
Dem.
Rep.
50%
38%
women
7%
38%
17%
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Percentage of women in each party
U.S. House
U.S. Senate
Democratic
Republican
Democratic
Republican
50%
38%
women
7%
38%
17%
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
“If you think that women have had the right to vote for 100 years, and we are still living in a situation where women make up less than 25 percent of members of Congress, [then] this is a process that is painfully slow,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
A painfully slow process
After women earned the right to vote starting in 1920, men and women have tended to vote in similar ways. But a fundamental shift began in 1980, when, for the first time, more women turned out to vote in the presidential election than men. That trend has continued since, year after year. The paradox of women in politics is that they vote in greater numbers than men but remain so dramatically underrepresented in elected office.
Registered voters
Turnout
80%
Women
70
Women
60
Men
Men
50
40
1976
2016
1976
2016
Source: U.S. Census
Registered voters
Turnout
80%
Women
70
Women
60
Men
Men
50
40
1976
2016
1976
2016
Source: U.S. Census
Registered voters
Turnout
80%
80%
Women
70
70
Women
60
60
Men
Men
50
50
40
40
1976
2016
1976
2016
Source: U.S. Census
Women’s turnout is just part of the story of how their voting behavior has evolved. A noticeable — and, in recent years, widening — gap emerged between how women and men voted. Since 1980, women have been more likely to support Democratic candidates and to endorse more liberal policy positions, while men have generally favored Republican candidates and more conservative positions.
Share voting
Democrat for
president
Share voting
Republican
70%
60
Women
Men
50
40
Men
Women
30
20
1980
2016
1980
2016
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Share voting
Democrat for president
Share voting
Republican
70%
60
Women
Men
50
40
Men
Women
30
20
1980
2016
1980
2016
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Share voting Democrat for president
Share voting Republican
70%
70%
60
60
Women
Men
50
50
40
40
Men
Women
30
30
20
20
1980
2016
1980
2016
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
In presidential elections, when Democrats won, female voters provided the winning margin.
Percentage voting for the winner
in presidential elections
Clinton
Obama
70%
Men
60
52%
Women
50
40
41%
30
20
10
1980
2016
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Percentage voting for the winner
in presidential elections
Reagan
G. H. W.
Bush
Clinton
G. W.
Bush
Obama
Trump
70%
Men
60
Women
52%
50
40
41%
30
20
10
1980
’84
’88
’92
’96
2000
’04
’08
’12
’16
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Percentage voting for the winner in presidential elections
Reagan
G. H. W.
Bush
Clinton
G. W. Bush
Obama
Trump
70%
Men
60
Women
52%
50
40
41%
30
20
10
1980
’84
’88
’92
’96
2000
’04
’08
’12
’16
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
The difference in party preferences is mirrored by differences on key issues, with women tending to be more liberal than men. The chart below compares men’s and women’s preferences on several issues.
Gender difference on key issues
More liberal
More conserv.
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
Gun Control
Women
Men
Education
Health care
Childcare
Millionaire Tax
Welfare
Gay Rights
Defense
Immigration
Source: Analysis of 2016 data American National
Election Studies by Tiffany D. Barnes,
University of Kentucky, and Erin C. Cassese,
University of Delaware.
Gender difference on key issues
More liberal
More conserv.
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
Gun Control
Women
Men
Education
Health care
Childcare
Millionaire Tax
Welfare
Gay Rights
Defense
Immigration
Source: Analysis of 2016 data American National Election
Studies by Tiffany D. Barnes, University of Kentucky,
and Erin C. Cassese, University of Delaware.
Gender difference on key issues
More liberal
More conservative
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
Gun Control
Women
Men
Education
Health care
Childcare
Millionaire Tax
Welfare
Gay Rights
Defense
Immigration
Source: Analysis of 2016 data American National Election Studies by Tiffany D. Barnes,
University of Kentucky, and Erin C. Cassese, University of Delaware.
But that liberal tendency is not true of all women. Within party lines, both genders tend to think rather similarly, as shown here:
Gender gap differences within
parties are relatively small
More liberal
More conserv.
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
Men
Women
Gun Control
Women
Men
Education
Health care
Childcare
Dem.
Rep.
Millionaire Tax
Welfare
Gay Rights
Defense
Immigration
Source: American Party Women Redux: Stability
in Partisan Gender Gaps, by Erin C. Cassese,
University of Delaware, and Tiffany D. Barnes
and Victoria D. Beall, University of Kentucky.
Gender gap differences within
parties are relatively small
More liberal
More conservative
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
Women
Men
Gun Control
Women
Men
Education
Health care
Democrats
Republicans
Childcare
Millionaire Tax
Welfare
Gay Rights
Defense
Immigration
Source: American Party Women Redux: Stability in Partisan
Gender Gaps, by Erin C. Cassese, University of Delaware, and
Tiffany D. Barnes and Victoria D. Beall, University of Kentucky.
Gender gap differences within parties are relatively small
More liberal
More conservative
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
Women
Men
Women
Men
Gun Control
Education
Health care
Democrats
Republicans
Childcare
Millionaire Tax
Welfare
Gay Rights
Defense
Immigration
Source: American Party Women Redux: Stability in Partisan Gender Gaps, by Erin C. Cassese,
University of Delaware, and Tiffany D. Barnes and Victoria D. Beall, University of Kentucky.
Still, it holds true that the majority of women of all ages and education levels have identified with liberal policies and gravitated toward the Democratic Party in recent years:
Party identification among women
Share who identify as or lean toward each party.
Democratic
56
50%
Republican
38
’94
’06
’19
Generation
Millennial women
Generation X
50%
’06
’19
’94
’19
Baby Boomer
Silent Generation
50%
’94
’19
’94
’19
Education
College graduate +
Non-college grad.
50%
’94
’19
’94
’19
Source: Pew Research Center annual survey.
The data from 2018 and 2019 years has been
combined. Don’t know responses not shown.
Party identification among women
Share who identify as or lean toward each party.
56
Democratic
50%
38
Republican
’94
’06
’19
Generation
Millennial women
Generation X
50%
’94
’06
’19
’94
’06
’19
Baby Boomer
Silent Generation
50%
’94
’06
’19
’94
’06
’19
Education
College graduate +
Non-college graduate
50%
’94
’06
’19
’94
’06
’19
Source: Pew Research Center annual survey. The data from
2018 and 2019 years has been combined.
Don’t know responses not shown.
Party identification among women
Share who identify as or lean toward each party.
Democratic
56
48
50%
42
Republican
38
’94
’06
’19
Generation
Education
Millennial
Generation X
College graduate +
Dem.
50%
50%
Rep.
’94
’06
’19
’94
’06
’19
’94
’06
’19
Baby Boomer
Silent Generation
Non-college graduate
50%
50%
’94
’06
’19
’94
’06
’19
’94
’06
’19
Source: Pew Research Center annual survey. The data from 2018 and 2019 years has been combined.
Don’t know responses not shown.
In the 2018 midterm elections, the first after the election of President Trump, the share of women voting for a Democratic candidate for the House continued to move upward in nearly every demographic segment. The racial divide is particularly stark: 92 percent of Black women favored Democrats in 2018, compared to 49 percent of White women. Among White women without a college degree, 42 percent voted Democratic.
Black women have been staunch
Democratic supporters
Share voting Democratic in 2018
Black
92%
Latina
73%
White
49%
Among women who
voted Democratic
Education
(White women)
Marital status
70%
Unmarried
College
50
Married
women
Non-college
20
’16
’18
’16
’18
Source: National Election Pool exit polls,
2016 and 2018.
Black women have been staunch
Democratic supporters
Share voting Democratic in 2018
92%
Black
73%
Latina
White
49%
Among women who voted Democratic
Education (White women)
Marital status
Unmarried
70%
70%
College
50
50
Married
women
Non-college
20
20
’16
’18
’16
’18
Source: National Election Pool exit polls, 2016 and 2018.
Black women have been
staunch Democratic
supporters
Among women who
voted Democratic
Share voting Democratic in 2018
Education (White women)
Marital status
Black women
Unmarried
70%
92%
College
Latina
50
Married
73%
Non-college
White
49%
20
’16
’18
’16
’18
Source: National Election Pool exit polls, 2016 and 2018
Today, there are nearly eight times more Democratic women in the House than Republicans.
Women in the U.S. House
88
80
Democratic
60
40
20
13
Republican
1917
’40
’60
’80
2000
’20
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Women in the U.S. House
88
80
Democratic
60
40
20
13
Republican
1917
’40
’60
’80
2000
’20
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
Women in the U.S. House
88
80
Democratic
60
40
20
13
Republican
1917
’40
’60
’80
2000
’20
Source: Center for American Women and Politics
So what will it take to achieve gender equality in American politics?
It will take some more time and a lot more effort to reach equal representation. I asked my colleague David Byler, a statistics expert, to estimate how long it would take for women to reach equal numbers in Congress at the current pace. His estimate: about 60 years.
Percentage of women in the House
and estimated time to reach
equal representation
50%
Trend
40
30
20
Democrat and
Republican
combined
10
10
1950
2000
2050
2080
Source: David Byler’s analysis of data from the
Center for American Women and Politics
Percentage of women in the House
and estimated time to reach
equal representation
50%
Trend
40
30
20
Democrat and
Republican
combined
10
10
1950
2000
2050
2080
Source: David Byler’s analysis of data from the
Center for American Women and Politics
Percentage of women in the House and estimated time
to reach equal representation
50%
Trend
40
30
20
Democrat and
Republican
combined
10
10
1950
2000
2050
2080
Source: David Byler’s analysis of data from the Center for American Women and Politics
The idea of possibly waiting another half-century is disheartening. But concerted effort by both parties and some unpredictable factors could change that perspective. For example, Trump’s election motivated scores of Democratic women to run for office in 2018. This year, again, women are seeking office in record numbers, with Republicans also part of the push. As a result, a record number of women are running for House seats, with nearly 300 women securing their party’s nomination, including more than 200 Democrats and nearly 90 Republicans.
That’s progress, for sure. But it’s not enough — not even close. In fact, it is appalling that after a century we remain so far from equality, especially on the Republican side. It should not take another 60 years to fix that.
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