August 2, 2023

CAWP is unveiling new resources to better understand women’s representation in state legislatures around the country. These resources, Women as a Percentage of State Legislative Caucuses and Representativeness of Women State Legislators by Race/Ethnicity and State, offer novel details regarding women officeholders in state legislatures and provide additional insights into opportunities and obstacles to political equity. These resources join our roster of data products on women as candidates, officeholders, and voters and will be updated regularly.

Women as a Percentage of State Legislative Caucuses examines women’s representation within Democratic and Republican caucuses in every state legislature in the country. This resource offers compelling new evidence regarding partisan differences in women’s representation in American politics; women are near, at, or beyond parity in Democratic caucuses around the country, while Republican women continue to be underrepresented at significantly steeper rates than their Democratic peers.

Representativeness of Women State Legislators by Race/Ethnicity and State compares women’s representation in state legislatures to their share of the population, with representation-to-population comparisons by race and ethnicity for each state as well as in aggregate nationally. This resource shows women from each racial and ethnic group being represented below their share of population in the majority of states.

Find all of CAWP’s resources about women in state legislative offices – including state-by-state information, our state rankings, current and historical representation, and state legislative candidacies over time – at the State Legislature section of our website.

This Thursday, August 3rd, CAWP and Higher Heights for America will host a virtual briefing regarding our recent joint release, Black Women in American Politics 2023. For nearly a decade, Higher Heights and the Center for American Women and Politics have teamed up to report on the status of Black women in American politics. In that period, Black women have seen representational gains across all levels of office, but the underrepresentation of Black women persists, and our organizations remain committed to documenting, analyzing, and addressing disparities in both political presence and power.

Speakers will include:

• Glynda C. Carr Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Higher Heights
• Kelly Dittmar CAWP Scholar and Director of Research; Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University–Camden
• Representative Jennifer McClellan United States House of Representatives
• Representative Juandalynn Givan Alabama House of Representatives and President of The National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women)

Register to attend this briefing on Zoom here.

Remembering the Life of a New Jersey Political Trailblazer

We were deeply saddened by the sudden passing of New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, a trailblazer in the politics of the state and a friend, supporter, partner, and champion of our work. Read our full statement about this pathbreaking public servant here.

Find more tributes to Sheila Oliver at the New Jersey Globe, including statements from Eagleton Institute of Politics Director John Farmer and Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway.

August is National Make-A-Will Month, and Rutgers University offers an opportunity to support the causes that are important to you via a free online tool. This secure and accessible step-by-step process will help you and your family achieve peace of mind and support Rutgers through the creation of a will or trust. Prepare for the future with this free estate planning tool, available to all CAWP supporters and friends.

Start your free will today.