Michigan holds ‘B’ rating in political gender parity index

This article was published in Michigan Advance and focuses on Michigan's gender parity issue in office. It features the RepresentWomen's 2022 Gender Parity Index report. Read an excerpt below:

According to a recent report, Michigan is the fifth-best state in the nation for having women in office.

Michigan earned an overall “B” score in the 2022 Gender Parity Index from the Takoma Park, Md.-based group RepresentWomen. The report ranks states based on women in Congress, statewide executive roles, the Legislature and local executive positions.

No state achieved gender parity, which is a score in the study of 50 or above on a scale of 100. The study uses data from the last three gubernatorial elections, the four most recent U.S. Senate elections, the most recent congressional legislative elections and more.

In 2022, Michigan earned 42 points out of 100. The gender parity rating for Michigan has slightly fallen since last year, when Michigan scored 42.7, but Michigan has held a “B” rating since 2019.

Michigan is one of the states that was impacted by the wave of female Democrats who ran in 2018. Michigan was given a “C” grade and came in 12th overall that year.

Michigan scored 13.9 out of 30 in the women in Congress category. In 2022, six of Michigan’s 14 U.S. representatives are women — U.S. Reps. Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield), Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) and Haley Stevens (D-Waterford Twp.). U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) also adds to the score, being Michigan’s only female U.S. senator the state has ever elected.

Read the full article here.

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