RepresentWomen imagines a modern governmental workplace where more women officeholders can thrive. To achieve this, legislative bodies should enact the following internal process reforms:
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How We Can Modernize Our Legislatures in the United States
Fair Pay for Legislators: Compensation Commissions
Legislative compensation is a determining factor in who runs for and stays in office. Low wages often mean that only a subset of the population, often the retired and wealthy, can serve in office. Women lawmakers across states report salary as a key consideration when deciding whether to run for office or reelection. Systems strategies, such as compensation commissions (CCs), are viable solutions to the perennial pay problem.
Legislators in New Mexico are virtually unpaid, earning only a per diem for the days they are in session. Existing research regarding state legislative salaries and their relationship with women’s representation has largely overlooked the potential of compensation commissions as a viable strategy to provide lawmakers with fair pay.
Salaries of State: Modernizing State Legislatures through Compensation Commissions finds that compensation commissions remove many of the barriers legislators face when working to increase pay directly and facilitate a diverse political environment where more women are incentivized to run for office and have the means to stay once elected.
- State legislator compensation impacts who serves in office and how long. Low pay disincentivizes women from staying in office, as they often face additional domestic duties and financial costs, such as childcare.
- Higher compensation levels create opportunities for women to run, however, they do not guarantee more women will win. Hence, a need for the implementation of other reforms to modernize state legislatures.
- Commission power and authority are pivotal in determining effectiveness. Legislators in states where recommendations take effect automatically are less likely to experience electoral backlash for a vote in favor of a pay increase.
- Voter education is critical to establishing and sustaining a commission. Misconceptions regarding state legislator compensation are common, and changes to legislator pay settings must center on transparency with voters.
View the Salaries of State Report
Fairer Legislative Practices
RepresentWomen calls on city, state, and national legislators to reform their internal practices and culture so that women legislators can serve and lead effectively. Erratic work schedules, low pay rates, geographic distance, and unfair leadership selection processes make serving a challenge for many women - especially those caring for children and managing households. These issues disproportionately affect women; nevertheless, these reforms would benefit both men and women.
Read our 2021 case studies on the best practices in the Nevada and Maryland state legislatures.
View the Best Practices: For a Gender-Balanced Democracy Guide
Legislative Rules Changes
To make the governmental workplace one in which more women officeholders can thrive, legislative bodies should enact the following internal process reforms:
- Provide affordable on-site childcare
- Allow for telecommuting and virtual voting for elected officials
- Create family-friendly schedules for committee meetings and floor proceedings
- Review how committee leadership is selected
Women's Caucuses
RepresentWomen is building relationships with state legislative women’s caucuses to:
- learn about best practices
- strategize about opportunities for reform
- implement systemic solutions to the under-representation of women
Approximately 20 states have either partisan or bipartisan caucuses which promote legislation that will improve the status of women in their state. They also serve as important networking channels for female legislators and as vehicles for reform that make legislative bodies more women-friendly and representative.
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