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.
Our Signature Research
Through research and advocacy, RepresentWomen is paving the way for women in American politics to Run, Win, Serve and Lead. To learn more about our signature research, please consult the following:
Get Involved
New from RepresentWomen
Weekend Reading on Women's Representation January 7, 2022
Posted on January 10, 2022
As of this week, women hold 31 of the 51 seats on the New York City Council. While there was no single factor that led to this outcome the newest ingredient in the mix was the introduction of ranked choice voting...
Read MoreWeekend Reading on Women's Representation December 31, 2021
Posted on December 31, 2021
The ongoing pandemic, economic uncertainty, looming climate crises, and electoral dysfunction will challenge us in 2022, to be sure, but I believe that we can make serious progress toward gender balance in politics and women's leadership with increased collaboration and innovation in the coming year. I look forward to the work ahead with all of you.
Read MoreWeekend Reading on Women's Representation December 17, 2021
Posted on December 17, 2021
For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed? bell hooks
Read More