The Detroit News
Mich. slips in public office gender equality
Michigan has slipped from No. 8 to 11th in its gender-parity rank for electing women to public office, according to an analysis by the group Representation 2020.
The index considers the number and proportion of women elected to office at the local, state and national levels.
The group noted that only three of the 14 members from Michigan serving in the U.S. House are women and that Sen. Debbie Stabenow is the first female senator elected to Michigan. Only one woman has ever served as governor of Michigan, and one of the four statewide elected offices is held by a woman.
The percentage of women in the state Legislature hasn’t improved significantly since 1993 when women represented 20 percent of members. Today, the figure is 21 percent, with the state ranking 32nd for state legislative parity.
Contributors: Chad Livengood, Melissa Nann Burke and Gary Heinlein