Bridging the Gender Gap: 4 States Have Yet to Send a Woman to Congress

image
Created: 11 Mar, 2014
Updated: 14 Oct, 2022
2 min read

With International Women’s Day this past weekend, across the world there were displays of support for women. In Montevideo, Uruguay, the government dedicated a stamp to Luisa Cuesta, who has fought for truth and justice in the country. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, restaurants gave female patrons discounts on their meals. And in the U.S., there were various celebrations, including Hillary Clinton’s statement before the United Nations where she asserted that equality for women is “the great unfinished business of the 21st century.”

While the holiday was celebrated around the world, the U.S. is a striking example where women’s equality, particularly in Congress, is still suffering. In Rwanda, women

comprise almost 60 percent of their congress, while in the U.S. it is only 18 percent.

However, across the country, the level of representation varies. Ranking at the bottom are Iowa and Mississippi, two states that have never elected a woman as governor or to Congress. However, Vermont, and Delaware have also never sent a women to Congress, but have had female governors.

This year, Iowa has six women on the primary ballot and hopes to shift their female-less record.

While California has the greatest number of congressional seats, they also have the best record for electing women. The state has elected a total of 37 women to Congress. The next 4 states to round out the top 5 are New York, Illinois, Florida, and Ohio, in that order.

(The full ranking can be found below.)

, starting with Jeannette Rankin in Montana for the 1917-1919 term. Montana has yet to elect another female representative.

The women have split along party lines at 194 Democrats and 104 Republicans, while most of them -- 254 of the 298 -- served in the House of Representatives.

The U.S.

ranks 77th in the world by percentage of legislative seats held by women.

Possible reasons for this discrepancy vary. A recent report by American University argued that the “fundamental reason for women’s under-representation is that they do not run for office. There is a substantial gap in political ambition; men tend to have it and women don’t.”

IVP Donate

Some commentators also ascribe the gap to sexist media coverage.

Various political organizations across the country are dedicated to training women to run for office and decrease the gender gap such as Emerge, Emily’s List, and Elect Women, among others.

So far, their efforts have had some effect as the current Congress currently has the highest female representation in U.S. history. Iowa , launching its own efforts such as 50/50 in 2020, hopes to add to that number in 2014 and end their dearth of female representatives to date.

Total Number of Female Representatives by State (historical total)

State

Total Number

California

37

New York

OLAS Media

25

Illinois

17

Florida

15

Ohio

11

Washington

More Choice for San Diego

10

Missouri

9

Maryland

8

Michigan

7

North Carolina

IVP Donate

7

Pennsylvania

7

Texas

7

Kansas

7

Connecticut

OLAS Media

7

Indiana

7

Georgia

6

Hawaii

6

Massachusetts

More Choice for San Diego

6

Tennessee

6

Oregon

6

Alabama

5

Arkansas

IVP Donate

5

Louisiana

5

Minnesota

5

New Jersey

5

South Carolina

OLAS Media

5

Arizona

5

Colorado

4

Maine

4

South Dakota

More Choice for San Diego

4

Nebraska

4

New Hampshire

4

Nevada

3

New Mexico

IVP Donate

3

Utah

3

Virginia

3

Idaho

2

Kentucky

OLAS Media

2

West Virginia

2

Wisconsin

2

Oklahoma

2

Wyoming

More Choice for San Diego

2

North Dakota

2

Montana

1

Rhode Island

1

Alaska

IVP Donate

1

Delaware

0

Iowa

0

Mississippi

0

Vermont

OLAS Media

0

Latest articles

stacks of money.
Super PACs Drive Record Spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
Early voting starts March 18 in Wisconsin’s high-stakes Supreme Court race. Super PACs have fueled record-breaking spending, which is now close to $59 million and has surpassed the previous record set in 2023 for a state Supreme Court election....
18 Mar, 2025
-
3 min read
Minnesota Capitol Building
A House Divided: Minnesota Lawmakers Say Both Parties Will 'Alternate Gavel Daily'
The Minnesota House is once again evenly split at 67-67, following Democrat David Gottfried’s decisive victory in a special election held Tuesday night for House District 40B, representing Roseville and Shoreview....
17 Mar, 2025
-
2 min read
US Capitol Building with caution tape in front.
Andrew Yang: Why Nothing Works -- And How to Fix It
In the latest episode of the Andrew Yang Podcast, Yang talks with author Marc Dunkelman about his new book, Why Nothing Works, and how distrust in government has erected barriers to get anything done....
17 Mar, 2025
-
2 min read