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. Although these reforms would benefit men and women, these issues disproportionately affect women.

To make the governmental workplace one in which more women office holders can thrive, legislative bodies should enact the following internal process reforms:

• Provide affordable on-site childcare
• Allow for telecommuting and proxy voting for elected officials
• Create family-friendly schedules for committee meetings and floor proceedings
• Review the ways in which 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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