Executive Summary
A thriving democracy is within our reach, but we must ensure that women across the racial, ideological, and geographic spectrum of the United States have equal opportunities to enter and remain in political office so that our nation's rich diversity is reflected in our government.
Women SERVE: Legislative Practices to Ensure Sustained Representation explores the legislative practices, formal and informal, and political networks that have allowed women to not only be elected at higher rates in state legislatures but also serve more effectively in the long term.
Our takeaways are as follows:
- Increasing the number of women who run for and win elected office is just the first step in achieving gender parity and equality in politics. Research on Congressional tenure has shown that women experience higher turnover rates than men and tend to retire earlier in their careers. This not only impacts the number of women in elected office, as incumbency is the greatest predictor of future electoral success, but it also limits the number of women eligible for leadership positions within the legislature.
- Legislative workplace culture and norms must evolve beyond those that have upheld the "old boys' club" that serves the political elite. Twenty-seven states have taken a promising first step in countering this by establishing bipartisan women's caucuses to encourage women of the legislature to seek mentorship, better coordinate policymaking, and improve internal practices (e.g., through sexual harassment policies for legislators). On average, states with women's caucuses have 33% women in their legislatures, compared to the national average (30%).
- Structural barriers persist for mothers and caregivers in elected office. Women face many structural barriers stemming from the antiquated model of state legislatures as part-time, second jobs for the wealthy and influential. For mothers and caregivers, in particular, the financial burdens of the job are too high, and the pay is too low to justify traveling long distances and making other care arrangements for extended periods of time. Only one state, Alaska, offers childcare services for state government employees, which legislators must pay for out of pocket.
- Short-term structural changes that came into effect due to COVID-19 show that legislators can adapt to more modern practices. Before the COVID-19 crisis, many states had no or limited access to proxy voting. For working women with families and caregiving responsibilities, proxy voting allowed them to perform their duties as legislators while balancing their caregiving responsibilities.