LEGISLATURE

Women in the Legislative Branch

Jeannette Rankin

  • First woman to be elected to Congress
    • Elected to the House of Representatives in 1916 for one term.
    • Elected again in 1940.
    • Rankin remains the only woman elected to Congress from Montana.

Hattie Caraway

  • First woman elected to the Senate
    • Represented Arkansas as a member of the Democratic Party.
    • Originally appointed to fill the seat of her late husband.
    • Successfully won the subsequent election for a second term in 1932.
    • Known for her participation in the "Hattie and Huey" tour.
    • First woman to chair a Senate committee.
    • First woman to officially preside over the Senate.

Shirley Chisholm

  • First black woman to be elected to Congress
    • Elected in 1968 as a member of the Democratic Party from New York.
    • Advocated for various progressive issues including:
    • Minimum wage
    • Native American land rights
    • Universal healthcare
    • Child care

National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC)

  • Founded in 1971
  • Key figures involved in the establishment include:
    • Shirley Chisholm
    • Gloria Steinem
    • Bella Abzug
    • Fannie Lou Hamer
    • Betty Friedan
  • Purpose:
    • Dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting women seeking political office.

Do Women Govern Differently Once in Office?

  1. Legislative style/behavior
  2. Relationship with constituents
  3. Legislative priorities
Legislative Style/Behavior
  • Women in office tend to:
    • Sponsor more legislation.
    • Speak on the floor at higher rates.
    • Be more successful in moving bills through the legislative process
    • Reference: Volden, Wiseman, and Wittmer, 2013.
    • Socialization: More likely to socialize with peers
    • Inquiry regarding whether women are better team players.
    • Co-author and co-sponsor a higher number of bipartisan bills compared to men
    • Reference: Lawless et al., 2018.
Relationship with Constituents
  • Women legislators are more likely to:
    • Respond to constituent requests and provide helpful responses than their male counterparts.
    • This trend is particularly true for conservative women.
    • Responses to constituents are not higher for female constituents or regarding gender issues.
    • Reference: Thomsen and Sanders, 2020.
    • Women legislators tend to deliver more federal spending to their districts.
    • Reference: Anzia and Berry, 2011.
Legislative Priorities
  • Women tend to prioritize:
    • Funding for women’s issues.
    • Reference: Schulze, 2013; Schulze and Hurvitz, 2016.
    • Balancing legislative portfolios across a range of issues, both women's and gender-neutral.
    • Reference: Osborn and Mendez, 2010; Atkinson and Windett, 2019.

Committee Leadership in Congress

Senate Committee Leadership
  • Chairs: 4 out of 24 are women
  • Ranking members: 6 out of 24 are women
House Committee Leadership
  • Chairs: 1 out of 20 are women
  • Ranking members: 4 out of 20 are women

Gender Representation in House Committees

  • Overall leadership:
    • Democratic chairs: 14% women; 86% men
    • Republican chairs: 15% women; 85% men
House Republican Composition
  • Total: 222 members
    • Men: 85.1%
    • Women: 14.9%
House Democratic Composition
  • Total: 213 members
    • Men: 56.8%
    • Women: 43.2%
Staff Representation
  • Democratic Staff Directors: 45% women, 55% men
  • Republican Staff Directors: 15% women, 85% men
Source of Data
  • Data compiled by Bloomberg Government.