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Women in Politics

Women underrepresented in municipal, state and national politics, new Rutgers study finds

Chelsey Cox
USA TODAY

Correction & clarification: A prior version of this article misstated the number of female municipal officeholders, details about verification of the data, some location information and a couple of quotes.

Women are underrepresented in political office on the municipal level, according to a new report released Thursday by Rutgers University,findings that contradict previously held beliefs that women are more likely to hold office locally than on the state or federal levels.

An analysis of census-level data by Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics — the first university-based center to focus on women's participation in American politics on a national scale — found the percentage of women in municipal office virtually matches that of women serving in state government and in the House of Representatives.

Currently, 30.5% of municipal seats are occupied by women, compared to 30.9% of seats in state legislatures. While Pew Research Center reported the number of women serving in the 117th Congress increased 50% from 10 years ago, that still amounts to only 26.5% of seats in the House. 

"There's always been this assumption that, if we just went down a little further, if we just got to a more local level, that we would see a lot more women there," Debbie Walsh, director of CAWP, told USA TODAY. "And we have long suspected that was, in fact, a myth. And the data now bears that out."

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Walsh said the assumption derived from conveniences offered to women in local politics not available at the federal level.

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"At the municipal level, you can live in your home and see your kids and if you have children and school-age kids, that might be a little bit easier. But as I say, we're seeing that the numbers are pretty similar to what we're seeing at the state legislative level."

In only five states are over 40% of local offices held by women, according to data provided by CAWP and KnowWho Data Services. Chelsea Hill, CAWP data services manager, said the data set compiled by KnowWho contained 28,000 people  serving in municipal legislatures in incorporated cities and towns with Census-verified populations over 10,000 people. Just under 9,000 were women. Analysts at CAWP verified the blanks and spot-checked the KnowWho data for accuracy.

The report also revealed that in most states about 20% to 29% of local seats are occupied by women, and states with the highest percentages of women in municipal seats tend to have the fewest qualifying municipalities. Hawaii, the top state, has only one incorporated municipality in its capital, Honolulu. There is a 50-50 ratio of men to women in local office.

The state with the second-highest percentage of women serving, Alaska, has six qualifying municipalities. Women occupied 46% of local seats there compared to 52% held by men. Colorado is ranked third highest but has significantly more qualifying municipalities (60), with fewer local seats held by women (44.4%) than men (55.4%). 

Walsh said Western states like Colorado, Alaska and Oregon consistently do better at electing women in part because of less party control.

"There is a process there that is more open. I think there are fewer gatekeepers, meaning the party structure may be more open, more transparent. In places where it is harder for women to break in, usually parties have a stronger role in making the decision about who runs and who doesn't run," she said.

Nebraska ranks last in the country, with 17.7% of seats held by women, serving in 16 qualified municipalities compared to 82.3% of seats held by men. Mississippi is next to last, with 19% of seats held by women in 41 qualifying municipalities.

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"They're 48th in our state legislative ranking," Hill said about Mississippi. "And they're consistently there. They've been there for years. So, that doesn't surprise me that they are also in the bottom ranking for (women in local office)."

Indiana ranks 48th on the list for women serving locally.  Nearly 21% of  offices are held by women in 96 qualifying municipalities compared with 79% of offices held by men.

Comparisons between local and state offices are similarly striking. Nevada holds the title for the largest percentage of women in a state legislature (60.3%) but a smaller proportion of women serve in municipal office (42.6%).

The bottom-ranked state for female representation in state legislatures is West Virginia (11.9%) but the proportion of women in local office there is higher (24.1%).

Walsh says more diversity at the municipal level is crucial for affecting policy that changes people's lives. 

"I think one of the things that we have always found in our research is that women bring different perspectives, different points of view, different life experiences to governing, to making policy and to implementing policy," she said. "It's not that men don't understand it, but they understand it from their perspective. I think women understand (governing) in a different way." 

The perspective is shared by some advocacy groups that say issues surrounding children and families are directly impacted when more women serve in office.

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"Building up the numbers and power of diverse women in office ensures that our voices are heard, our issues are addressed, and our rights are protected," said Emily Cain, executive director of Emily's List, an organization that promotes female Democratic candidates.

"We still have work to do to achieve equal representation in elected office, but it's clear that when women are in charge, good things happen," she added. "From addressing the global pandemic, to demanding accountability for racial injustice and calling out attacks on reproductive rights, our nation continues to see the bold change that is possible when women lead.”

Ann Schockett, president of the National Federation of Republican Women, told USA TODAY that women are more inspired to run for office when they see themselves represented in politics.

“More than ever, in recent years and throughout our country, women are realizing and understanding the necessity of they themselves being involved, and they are stepping up to take an active role in being a representative voice on all issues. Strong women elected leaders from all backgrounds are inspiring more women that it is within their reach to run for office and engage in public service at all levels,” Schockett said.

Walsh and Hill say the report will be released every year to provide a snapshot of women's progress in local politics. 

"What I hope happens is, what I hope people use this data set for, it's kind of go to their state and say, 'OK, so what's going on here?'” Hill said.

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