As we begin 2026, RepresentWomen looks back at the research, stories, and moments that shaped women’s political representation in 2025, and what they reveal about how systems, not chance, drive progress toward parity.

As we begin a new year, I hope this note finds you feeling rested, restored, and surrounded by the people and moments that helped you recharge over the holidays. However you spent the season, may it have offered you time to pause, reflect, and carry a sense of renewal into the year ahead. 

As we step into 2026, I’ve been thinking a lot about the year we’ve just closed. 2025 was a meaningful and momentum-filled year for RepresentWomen — one marked by new research, powerful partnerships, thought convenings, and stories that helped move the conversation about women’s political representation forward. None of this would have been possible without the energy, curiosity, and commitment of this community. 

To everyone who read, shared, attended, supported, and engaged with our work this past year, thank you! Your support sustains this work, and we’re deeply grateful to have you alongside us. 

Rather than our usual news roundup this week, we’re beginning this year with a RepresentWomen 2025 Roundup, uplifting key research, thought pieces, articles, events, and convenings from the year we just closed, and reflecting on how they are guiding the work ahead. 💜

Milestones: Paula Hawkins became the first woman Senator from Florida (1981); Janet Mills became the 1st woman Governor of Maine (2019) after winning a Ranked Choice Voting primary; Patsy Mink, 1st Asian American Congresswoman (1965); Shirley Chisholm, 1st African American Congresswoman (1969); Mia Love, 1st Haitian American Congresswoman (2015); Sharice Davids & Deb Haaland, 1st Native American Congresswomen (2019); Utah grants women full suffrage (1896); Nancy Pelosi, 1st woman House Speaker (2007); Maura Healey & Tina Kotek become the 1st openly lesbian governors 2023; and Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes the 1st woman governor in the U.S. (1925).

Birthdays of notable women: Betsy Ross (1752); Rep. Terri Sewell (1965); Kristin Haffert, co-founder of Mine the Gap; Kay A. Orr, first Woman Governor of Nebraska (1987 to 1991); Alice Mary Robertson, first woman elected from Oklahoma (1921-1923); Althea Stevens, New York City Council; Grace Coolidge, First Lady (1879); Lucretia Mott, 1st woman VP nominee and leader of the Women's Suffrage Movement; Carlina Rivera, former New York City Councilwomen; D'Arcy Carden, actress; Emilia Sykes, U.S. Representative; and Deborah Walsh, Director of the Center for American Women & Politics. 

Patsy Mink, painted by Melanie Humble

Shirley Chisholm, painted by Melanie Humble

Painting of Lucretia Mott by Melanie Humble. 

A Look Back: Research that Moved us Forward in 2025 

In 2025, research played an especially central role in RepresentWomen’s work. Through new reports and expanded analysis, we deepened our understanding of where women’s representation stands and, just as significantly, why progress looks so uneven across places and systems. Our research allows us to move beyond anecdotes and assumptions and ground our advocacy in evidence, making visible the rules and structures that shape political power and identifying policies and reforms that have been tested, proven, and sustained over time. In a field often driven by short-term cycles and headlines, this work provides the clarity and credibility needed to push for lasting change.

2025 Gender Parity Index (GPI)

The Gender Parity Index remains RepresentWomen’s flagship research product, and in 2025, it delivered some of the most unmistakable evidence that progress toward parity is slow and uneven.

• Women currently hold 28% of seats in Congress, 34% of state legislative seats, and just 27% of chief executive positions in the largest cities and counties.
• For the first time, three states — New Hampshire, Oregon, and Maine — earned “A” grades, meaning they are within reach of gender parity.
• At the same time, half of all states still received a “D” grade, underscoring how uneven and fragile progress remains.

The 2025 GPI makes one thing clear: while women continue to achieve historic “firsts,” those milestones have not translated into sustained, nationwide gains. Without systems-level reform, parity will remain out of reach for most states.

Parity in Portland, Oregon

This report took a deep dive into Portland, Oregon, as a real-world case study of how electoral systems shape outcomes.

By examining Portland’s adoption of proportional ranked choice voting and complementary reforms, the report shows how changing the rules can expand opportunities for women and candidates from historically underrepresented communities — while also strengthening accountability and voter choice. It reinforces RepresentWomen’s core finding: candidate recruitment alone is not enough. Structural reform and candidate support must work together.

North America Country Brief

The North America Country Brief places women’s political representation in the United States in a broader regional context, comparing outcomes across North America. By looking at how different electoral systems, party structures, and political institutions shape representation, the report highlights both persistent gaps and notable successes.

This comparative approach underscores a core insight of RepresentWomen’s work: systems matter. The brief helps illuminate why the U.S. continues to lag behind peer democracies, and what lessons can be drawn from neighboring countries that have made more consistent progress toward parity.

Caribbean & Central America Country Brief

Released at the end of December, this report is the seventh installment in RepresentWomen’s Country Brief series, an ongoing body of research that examines how electoral rules and political systems shape women’s opportunities for leadership around the world.

Since 2021, our Country Briefs have explored women’s political representation across diverse regions — including the Post-Soviet States, Arab States, Latin America, Oceania, the European Union, and North America — drawing on global evidence to identify best practices for advancing gender parity. The Caribbean and Central America Brief continues that work, offering new insight into how different systems and political contexts influence outcomes for women in government.

The findings reinforce a core pattern we’ve seen across regions:

• Countries using proportional representation (PR) systems tend to have the highest levels of women’s representation, especially when PR is paired with gender quotas. In fact, two of the three countries in the region with the strongest representation outcomes combine these tools.
• At the same time, the report highlights essential nuance. Non-proportional systems, such as First-Past-the-Post, can achieve higher levels of women’s representation when supported by other factors, including strong party commitment, a history of women’s leadership, and pathways through local office. Dominica’s experience offers one such example.
• The brief also cautions against assuming that higher numbers alone signal true gender equality. In some contexts, women’s representation is used as a form of “genderwashing,” while in others it marks meaningful progress, but not the finish line.

This research both strengthens and challenges existing assumptions. While the combined benefits of proportional representation and gender quotas remain clear, the Caribbean and Central America also illustrate how national context matters, reminding us that system reform works best when paired with political will and supportive institutions.

As this series continues to grow, these findings will help sharpen our evaluation of voting systems globally and strengthen the case for reforms that create lasting, inclusive representation.

Looking Ahead: Research in 2026

Together, these reports reinforce a central truth: representation does not happen by chance. The rules and systems that shape elections matter deeply, and evidence from both the U.S. and around the world shows that when we design elections differently, we get different results.

As we move into 2026, this research will continue to guide our work — helping us identify what’s possible, what’s proven, and what it will take to build a more representative democracy. We’re already looking ahead to the release of the 2026 Gender Parity Index this August, and we look forward to sharing new insights and updates then.

Thank you, as always, for being part of this community. We’re excited for what’s ahead, and grateful to begin another year together.

RepresentWomen in the News 

In 2025, RepresentWomen’s research, analysis, and perspective reached new audiences through national media, helping elevate conversations about women’s political leadership, electoral reform, and the systems that shape representation.

Throughout the year, our work appeared in outlets like Ms. Magazine and The Fulcrum, where we connected real-time political moments to the deeper structural changes needed to build a more representative democracy.

In addition to our weekly Weekend Reading column, highlights from the past year include:

• What the Backlash Against Women’s Leadership Tells Us About Young Men
  Our most recent piece, written by Katie Usalis and published in Ms. Magazine and featured on its digital homepage, reflects on conversations with Richard Reeves and Michelle Harrison and explores how empathy, data, and systems-level thinking can help address generational challenges without undermining gender equality.
  
  
• ‘A Long Train of Abuses’—And a Long Road Ahead: 177 Years After Seneca Falls
  A reflection on the enduring legacy of the women’s rights movement — and why structural barriers continue to limit women’s political representation today.
  
  
• 2025’s Pink Wave: Election Night Marks Historic Wins for Women’s Representation
  An analysis of post-election narratives, urging a deeper look at systems, not just outcomes, when assessing women’s political gains.
  
  
• Two Roommates, Two Governorships—and a Blueprint for Women’s Power
  A closer look at the elections of Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill — and what these races reveal about women’s leadership and voter choice.
  
  
• What’s at Stake for Women in Louisiana v. Callais
  An examination of a pivotal Supreme Court case and its implications for the Voting Rights Act and women’s political power — especially for Black women.
  
  
• Celebrating Women’s Equality Day—105 Years After the 19th Amendment
  A Weekend Reading reflection marking the anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the unfinished work of achieving parity.
  
  
• Wins for Women Offer a Blueprint for the Future (The Fulcrum)
  A systems-level look at why women remain underrepresented — and how electoral reforms can help change that.
  
  
• With Ranked Choice Voting in NYC, Women Win (The Fulcrum)
  An exploration of how ranked choice voting has contributed to more representative outcomes in one of the nation’s largest cities.

Together, these pieces reflect RepresentWomen’s role as both a research organization and a trusted voice in national conversations about democracy. We’re grateful for the platforms that helped amplify this work, and for readers like you who continue to engage, share, and push these conversations forward.

Democracy in Action: Thought Leadership from RepresentWomen 

In 2025, we updated our Media section of the website and, during this overhaul, launched a new Democracy in Action section! This page is dedicated to housing RepresentWomen’s thought leadership — a space for deeper reflection, analysis, and storytelling about how democracy works, where it falls short, and how we can design it better.

This collection gave us room to explore questions that don’t always fit neatly into a news cycle, grounding real-time developments in evidence and systems-level insight. Throughout the year, these pieces drew directly from our research and advocacy, offering a perspective on how electoral rules and institutional design shape political power in practice.

Over the past year, Democracy in Action featured reflections and analysis on moments that mattered, including:

• The movement to implement ranked choice voting in Washington, D.C., and RepresentWomen’s response to efforts to delay a reform approved by a strong voter mandate.
• Election Day 2025, examining how local elections offer a window into the future of American democracy, and why rules matter as much as outcomes.
• Ongoing efforts to protect voting rights, and what court decisions and policy shifts mean for equal representation, particularly for women and communities of color.
• The connection between voter participation, majority rules, and representative outcomes is highlighted through National Voter Registration Day.

Together, these pieces reflect the purpose of Democracy in Action: to connect research to real-world events, elevate evidence-based reform, and offer a thoughtful perspective on how democratic systems shape women’s leadership, not in theory, but in practice.

As we move into 2026, we’ll continue expanding this collection with new essays, analyses, and perspective pieces that help reimagine what a truly representative democracy can look like.

Explore our Democracy in Action website page here. 

Democracy Solutions Summit: Building Women’s Power by Design

Last year, we were thrilled to gather advocates, researchers, elected leaders, and partners from across the country for our Democracy Solutions Summit — the only democracy summit focused exclusively on women leaders — for three days of rich conversation, shared learning, and bold ideas for building a more representative democracy.

The 2025 Summit featured an extraordinary lineup of women leaders and experts who brought depth, clarity, and lived experience to discussions about electoral reform, women’s political power, and the systems shaping our democracy. Across plenaries, panels, and conversations, the Summit reinforced a shared understanding: meaningful progress toward parity requires intentional design, collaboration, and sustained commitment.

If you weren’t able to join us or would like to revisit the conversations, recordings from last year’s Summit are available on our website. We’re grateful to everyone who participated, shared their insights, and helped make the event such a success.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue this work at the 2026 Democracy Solutions Summit, taking place March 10–12. We’re already building an engaging, forward-looking program and look forward to welcoming both returning and new participants.

Registration for DSS 2026 is now open, and we hope you’ll consider joining us.

Black Women in Politics: Online Violence as a Systems Failure

One of the most significant additions to Democracy in Action this year was the latest installment in our Black Women in Politics series, released intentionally as we closed out 2025, with an eye toward the work that must continue in the year ahead. This piece examines how online and technology-facilitated violence functions as a structural barrier to women’s political power, particularly for Black women.

It centers on a critical truth: online violence is not an isolated or individual problem. It is a systems-level failure that shapes who feels safe enough to run for office, whose leadership is undermined, and who is ultimately pushed out of political life. As we look toward 2026, this reality demands more than awareness — it calls for resolve.

To understand how these harms operate, and what meaningful reform must look like, RepresentWomen convened in-depth conversations with four women whose expertise spans lived experience, political science, extremism research, and social psychology:

• Kiah Morris, former Vermont legislator
• Dr. Nadia E. Brown, political scientist
• Dr. Hanah Stiverson, extremism researcher
• Dr. Asia Eaton, feminist psychologist

Together, their insights reveal how digital abuse, institutional inaction, and outdated legal frameworks converge to create environments where Black women are expected to absorb disproportionate harm simply for stepping into leadership. As Kiah Morris’s story makes clear, these failures do not just silence individuals; they deplete the pipeline of leadership and weaken democracy itself.

This installment reinforces RepresentWomen’s long-held finding that barriers to representation are structural, not personal. Just as electoral rules shape who can run and win, digital systems now play a decisive role in determining who can serve and lead safely. As we head into 2026,  a pivotal election year,  addressing these systems is not optional; it is essential to building a more representative and resilient democracy.

We invite you to read and reflect on this decisive contribution to our Democracy in Action collection, and to carry its lessons forward into the year ahead.

Women’s Power Collaborative: Learning, Connection, and Collective Impact

We also want to take a moment to recognize the incredible work of the Women’s Power Collaborative over the past year.

Throughout 2025, the Women’s Power Collaborative brought together advocates, practitioners, researchers, and leaders from across the country through its monthly webinars, creating space for shared learning, honest dialogue, and collaboration. These conversations helped surface what’s working, where challenges persist, and how we can better support women’s political power through systems-level change.

We’re deeply grateful to the partners and participants who showed up month after month — sharing expertise, asking hard questions, and strengthening this growing network. The Collaborative continues to embody what is possible when organizations work together toward a shared vision of a more representative democracy.

We’re excited to carry this momentum forward in 2026 and look forward to more opportunities to learn, connect, and build alongside this community.

To learn more about the Women’s Power Collaborative or sign up to join, visit our website page! 

RCV Day Webinar: Centering Women Leaders in the Movement

As we begin 2026, we’re excited to mark Ranked Choice Voting Day with a special RepresentWomen webinar focused on the people who make this reform possible.

On Thursday, January 22, from 1-2 PM EST, we’ll gather virtually to celebrate RCV Day by uplifting women leaders working on the front lines of the ranked choice voting movement. Guests will include organizers, educators, coalition builders, and advocates who are helping this reform take root in communities across the country.

This conversation will focus less on technical implementation and more on the human side of reform: how ranked choice voting changes campaign culture, strengthens coalition-building, and creates more inclusive pathways to leadership. We’ll also explore why ranked choice voting remains such a powerful systems strategy for advancing women’s representation and ensuring that leaders earn majority support.

Our goal is to center voices that are too often left out of formal policy conversations, despite being essential to the movement’s success, and to engage participants in a thoughtful, interactive discussion about where this work is headed next.

We hope you’ll join us as we kick off the year by celebrating women’s leadership and the reforms that help make our democracy more representative.

Carrying This Work Forward Together

As we begin a new year, we want to close with a simple note of thanks. Whether you supported RepresentWomen in 2025 by reading and sharing our work, attending events, engaging in conversations, or contributing financially, your support truly made a difference.

This work is sustained by a community that believes in evidence, collaboration, and the possibility of a more representative democracy, and we’re deeply grateful to have you alongside us. If you’re looking for ways to stay engaged in the year ahead, joining an upcoming event or making a contribution are both meaningful ways to support this work, and we appreciate each and every one.

Thank you for being part of this community. We look forward to continuing the work together in 2026.

P.S. — My parents were married on December 30th, 1950, in the same Quaker meetinghouse in Philadelphia where my great grandparents, my grandparents, and my husband & I were all wed. While I love thinking about my parents' 75th anniversary, I can’t help but cringe at the newspaper article's headline referring to my mother, a college-educated woman, as “Philadelphia Girl” – quite a reminder of how far we have come in one generation.

My mother pictured with her brothers and mother at top and with my father below.