The Challenge
Women make up more than half of the U.S. population, yet the majority of elected and appointed positions in government are held by men.
Political insiders control who gets recruited to run for office, partisanship and winner-take-all voting often determines who wins, and antiquated legislative rules impact who can serve and lead.
The problem isn't just convincing more women candidates to run for office. The problem is there are structural and institutional barriers that limit women's odds of success at every stage of the electoral process.
The Solutions
To advance women's representation and leadership in the United States, we need to complement existing candidate-centric practices with innovative systems strategies.
Electing more women to government will strengthen our democracy by making it more representative, reviving bipartisanship and collaboration, improving policy outcomes, encouraging a new style of leadership, and cultivating trust in our elected bodies.
Women Running
Recruitment targets for political parties so more women run.
Women Winning
Ranked choice voting for executive & legislative offices so more women win.
Women Serving
Modern rules like onsite childcare so more women can serve effectively.
Women Leading
Rankin Chisolm Rule for political appointments & hiring so more women lead.
How You Can Help
Join the work for systems strategies that address the structural barriers women face & enable sustained progress toward gender balance in representation and leadership in the United States.
Electeds
You've been elected to public office, and want to push for reforms
Donors
You want to contribute to allow us to keep doing our work
Allies
You're an allied organization, influencer, or shaping the conversation
Journalists
You're writing about gender parity and systemic reforms
Get Involved
New from RepresentWomen
Meet the Team: Sara
Posted on November 17, 2020
Sara Ahmed is a freshman at American University with an intended major in Political Science and Sociology. Being a communications intern at Represent Women has helped her put her passion for gender equality, specifically in the political field, into action. She hopes to work on campaigns where women of color who look like her are running for public office in the future. Sara enjoys trying different places to eat and watching psychological thrillers in her free time.
Read MoreMeet the Team: Sarika
Posted on November 17, 2020
Being a woman of color who is deeply committed to equity and equality, I look forward to working to reduce the gap in representation to create a legislature that is not only gender balanced but ethnically diverse. Gender disparities exist everywhere - politics, science, business, you name it - there is a lack of female leadership. This can only change when our representation and our leaders include more women. As an outreach intern for RepresentWomen, I’m excited to advocate and push for a more gender balanced cabinet in the upcoming elections.
Read MoreMeet the Team: Rose
Posted on November 17, 2020
In spite of my personal indecisiveness, RepresentWomen appealed to me and my dual interests in local and global politics. In particular, I was drawn to the quest to find and promote best practices for all levels of politics. As a student government senator, I have seen first-hand how changing the structure and function of a political body can lead to more effective outcomes (and hours of discussing and voting on by-laws). I hope to use this knowledge to guide my research internship at RepresentWomen this fall.
Read More