Facts About Women Legislators

Women in Elective Office 2007

In 2007, 87 women serve in the U.S. Congress. Sixteen women serve in the Senate, and 71 women serve in the House. The number of women in statewide elective executive posts is 76, while the proportion of women in state legislatures is at 23.5 percent.

Congress:

Women hold 87, or 16.3%, of the 535 seats in the 110th US Congress - 16, or 16.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 71, or 16.4%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. In addition, three women serve as Delegates to the House from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC.

Statewide Elective Executive:

In 2007, 76 women hold statewide elective executive offices across the country; women hold 24.1% of the 315 available positions. Among these women, 46 are Democrats, 27 are Republicans, one is an independent, and 3 were elected in nonpartisan races.

  • Women in Elective Office 2007 (PDF)
    Fact sheet with current numbers and percentage of women elected officials in U.S. Congress, statewide elective executive offices, state legislatures and municipal offices. Also includes summary of percentages of women in office at various levels from 1979 to current.

State Legislature:

In 2007, 1,735, or 23.5%, of the 7,382 state legislators in the United States are women. Women hold 422, or 21.4%, of the 1,971 state senate seats and 1,313, or 24.3%, of the 5,411 state house seats. Since 1971, the number of women serving in state legislatures has increased more than four-fold.

*Research conducted by the Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University.