Women have served in state legislatures in the United States since 1895. Their ranks have increased with the advent of nationwide women's suffrage after 1920. Although the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled since 1971, they remain underrepresented. In 2023, women held less than half of the seats in state legislatures across the majority of states. Specifically, seven states —Oklahoma (19.2%), Louisiana (19.4%), Alabama (17.4%), South Carolina (14.8%), Mississippi (14.5%), Tennessee (14.4%), and West Virginia (11.9%)— had legislatures where women occupied less than 20% of the seats.

Table. US states and Washington, DC. 2023

Rank is by overall percent. D.C. is not ranked. Duplicate ranks if same overall percent. D is Democrat. R is Republican. Ind is Independent. NP is non-partisan. Location links are for "Politics of LOCATION" or "Government of LOCATION" links.

+ Women in state legislatures in 2023. Party affiliations. Female/male ratios by branch. Overall ratio and percent.Women in State Legislatures 2024. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University–New Brunswick. Location Rank Senate Senate ratio House House ratio Overall ratio Overall percent 46 3D, 1R 4/35 10D, 10R 20/105 24/140 17.1 25 2D, 3R 5/20 7D, 6R, 2Ind 15/40 20/60 33.3 2 11D, 5R 16/30 20D, 9R 29/60 45/90 50.0 43 2D, 3R 5/35 10D, 16R 26/100 31/135 23.0 11 15D, 3R 18/40 27D, 5R 32/80 50/120 41.7 3 11D, 2R 13/35 30D, 5R 35/65 48/100 48.0 16 10D, 2R 12/36 39D, 19R 58/151 70/187 37.4 20 8D, 0R 8/21 14D, 0R 14/41 22/62 35.5 12 7D, 9R 16/40 25D, 15R 50/120 66/160 41.3 21 14D, 2R 16/56 46D, 19R 65/180 81/236 34.3 18 8D, 0R 8/25 18D, 2R 20/51 28/76 36.8 30 4D, 7R 11/35 5D, 16R 21/70 32/105 30.5 10 20D, 5R 25/59 43D, 6R 49/118 74/177 41.8 38 3D, 7R 10/50 15D, 16R 31/100 41/150 27.3 35 8D, 7R 15/50 16D, 13R 29/100 44/150 29.3 32 7D, 10R 17/40 17D, 16R 33/125 50/165 30.3 31 4D, 5R 9/38 15D, 18R 33/100 42/138 30.4 42 2D, 3R 5/39 11D, 18R 29/105 34/144 23.6 7 11D, 3R 14/35 48D, 19R 67/151 81/186 43.5 9 14D, 1R 15/47 57D, 7R 64/141 79/188 42.0 29 11D, 0R 11/40 46D, 4R, 1Ind 51/160 62/200 31.0 14 12D, 3R 15/38 31D, 12R 43/110 58/148 39.2 17 19D, 3R 22/67 36D, 17R 53/134 75/201 37.3 47 2D, 7R 9/52 7D, 9R, 2Ind 18/122 27/174 15.5 36 5D, 7R 12/34 28D, 17R 45/163 57/197 28.9 26 10D, 4R 14/50 15D, 19R 34/100 48/150 32.0 19 18NP 18/49 n/a unicameral 18/49 36.7 1 9D, 4R 13/21 20D, 5R 25/42 38/63 60.3 15 7D, 5R 12/24 101D, 49R 150/400 162/424 38.2 24 8D, 2R 10/40 25D, 6R 31/80 41/120 34.2 6 10D, 1R 11/42 31D, 7R 38/70 49/112 43.8 21 17D, 3R 20/63 50D, 3R 53/150 73/213 34.3 34 13D, 4R 17/50 24D, 9R 33/120 50/170 29.4 41 1D, 7R 8/47 9D, 18R 27/94 35/141 24.8 37 3D, 5R 8/33 13D, 17R 30/99 38/132 28.8 45 5D, 5R 10/48 10D, 9R 19/101 29/149 19.5 13 7D, 2R 9/30 18D, 10R 28/60 37/90 41.1 26 8D, 9R 17/50 37D, 27R 64/203 81/253 32.0 8 14D, 2R 16/38 30D, 3R 33/75 49/113 43.4 49 1D, 3R, 1Ind 5/46 8D, 12R 20/124 25/170 14.7 39 2D, 5R 7/35 4D, 17R 21/70 28/105 26.7 48 5D, 3R 8/33 3D, 9R 12/99 20/132 15.2 33 4D, 4R 8/31 32D, 14R 46/150 54/181 29.8 40 5D, 2R 7/29 8D, 12R 20/75 27/104 26.0 5 12D, 0R 12/30 58D, 9R, 2Ind 69/150 81/180 45.0 21 11D, 3R 14/40 27D, 7R 34/100 48/140 34.3 4 15D, 5R 20/49 35D, 12R 47/98 67/147 45.6 , D.C. N/A 4D, 1Ind 5/13 n/a unicameral 5/13 38.5 50 0D, 4R 4/34 2D, 11R 13/100 17/134 12.7 28 5D, 3R 8/33 20D, 13R 33/99 41/132 31.1 44 0D, 7R 7/31 3D, 10R 13/62 20/93 21.5

Table. US territories. 2023

Note: 24 female legislators overall in Puerto Rico. Affiliations: 8 PNP, 11 PPD, 5 Third Party.

+ US territorial legislatures in 2023. Party affiliations. Female/male ratios by branch. Overall ratio and percent. Location Rank Senate Senate ratio House House ratio Overall ratio Overall percent 5 1Ind 1/18 1 1/21 2/39 5.1 1 4D, 2R 6/15 n/a unicameral 6/15 40.0 4 2D, 1Ind 3/9 1D, 2I 3/20 6/29 20.7 3 13Ind 13/27 n/a 11Ind 24/78 30.8 2 4D, 1Ind 5/16 n/a unicameral 5/16 31.3

History

The first women to serve in any state legislature were Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly and Frances S. Klock, who were all elected in 1894 to the Colorado State House of Representatives. All three were elected the year after women in Colorado obtained the right to vote through popular election in 1893. As Secretary of the House Republican Caucus, Cressingham was the first woman to fill a leadership position in an American legislature. In 1896, Martha Hughes Cannon became the first woman elected to an upper body of a state legislature when she defeated her own husband, Angus M. Cannon, for a seat in the Utah State Senate.

The 50th state to see the debut of female state legislators in their lower house was Hawaii in 1959, who elected Dorothy Devereux and Eureka Forbes to their House of Representatives upon admittance to statehood. Alabama's Senate was the 50th upper house to welcome women when Ann Bedsole and Frances Strong joined the Senate in 1983.

In 2016, the highest shares of female members of a state legislature - at least 35% per state legislature - were in Colorado (30/65 in the House, 12/35 in the Senate), Vermont (65/150 in the House, 9/30 in the Senate), and Arizona (19/60 in the House, 13/30 in the Senate). The shares in Colorado and Vermont decreased to below 40% in 2017, while Arizona, Illinois, Nevada and Washington all saw their numbers increase up to between 35% and 39%. Altogether in 2017, women constitute 24.8% of all state legislators in the United States, a ratio that has increased by less than 4 percentage points since 1994.

Only four chambers have reached a near or absolute majority of women:

New Hampshire Senate (2009-2010, 13/24 womenWomen Dominate New Hampshire State Senate, NPR, November 9, 2008, 4:00 PM ET) Nevada Assembly (2019, 23/42 women) Colorado House of Representatives(2019, 32/65 women) Oregon House of Representatives (2020, 30/60 women)

List of first women to serve in state and territorial legislatures

+ List of first women to serve in state and territorial legislaturesLocationYearHouseYearSenate1923Hattie Hooker Wilkins1983Ann BedsoleFrances Strong (state)1959Helen FischerDora Sweeney1959Irene Ryan1937Nell Scott1949Anita Garnick1915Rachel Emma Berry1915Frances Willard Munds1922Frances Hunt1964Dorathy Allen1919Esto BroughtonGrace S. DorrisElizabeth HughesAnna Saylor1977Rose Ann Vuich1895Clara CressinghamCarrie Clyde HollyFrances Klock1913Helen Robinson1921Emily Sophie BrownRev. Grace EdwardsLillian FrinkMary HookerHelen Jewett1925Alice MerrittWomen in American Politics: History and Milestones, by Doris Weatherford | "New England's first female senator was Alice Virginia Merritt of Connecticut. A Republican, she lived in the capital city, Hartford, where her husband, Joseph Merritt, founded a still extant firm specializing in blueprints. She had served as a volunteer in the Red Cross Motor Corps during World War I, meaning she was independent enough to drive at a time when most women did not. Connecticut had two-year senate terms, and Merritt was reelected in 1926. She lived until 1950."1925Florence Hanby1947Vera Gilbride Davis1929Edna Giles Fuller1963Beth Johnson1923Bessie KemptonViola Ross Napier1925Margaret Johnson (state)1959Dorothy L. DevereuxEureka Forbes1963Patsy Mink1925Rosalie Keliʻinoi1933Elsie Hart Wilcox1898Clara CampbellHattie NobleMary Allen Wright1935Margaret Bogard Pike1923Lottie Holman O’Neill1925Florence Fifer Bohrer1921Julia D. Nelson1943Arcada Balz1929Carolyn Campbell Pendray1933Carolyn Campbell Pendray1919Minnie J. Grinstead1929Patricia Solander1922Mary Elliott Flanery1950Carolyn Moore1940Doris Lindsey HollandBeatrice Hawthorne Moore1936Doris Lindsey Holland1923Dora Pinkham1927Katharine AllenClaire CarterDora Pinkham1922Mary Risteau1935Mary Risteau1923Sylvia DonaldsonSusan Fitzgerald1937Sybil Holmes1925Cora Reynolds Anderson1921Eva McCall Hamilton1923Myrtle CainSue Metzger Dickey HoughHannah Jensen KempferMabeth Hurd Paige1927Laura Emelia Naplin1924Nellie Nugent Somerville1924Carrie Belle Kearney1923Mellcene SmithSarah Lucille Turner1973Mary Gant1917Maggie Smith HathawayEmma Ingalls1945Ellenore Bridenstine1925*Mabel GillespieClara HumphreySarah Muir1946Nell Krause1919Sadie Hurst1935Frances Friedhoff1921Jessie DoeDr. Mary L. R. Farnum1931E. Maude Ferguson1921Margaret LairdJennie Van Ness1966Mildred Barry Hughes1923Bertha M. Paxton1925Louise Holland Coe1919Mary LillyIda Sammis1935Rhoda Fox Graves1921Lillian Clement1931Gertrude Dills McKee1923Minnie CraigNellie Doughterty1951Agnes Kjorlie Geelan1923Nettie ClappLulu GleasonAdelaide OttMay Van Wye1923Nettie LougheadMaude Waitt1921Bessie S. McColgin 1921Lamar Looney1915Marian Towne1915Kathryn Clarke1923Alice BentleyRosa DeYoungSarah McCune GallaherHelen GrimesSarah Gertrude MacKinneyLillie PittsMartha SpeiserMartha Thomas1925Flora M. Vare1923Isabelle Ahearn O'Neill1929Lulu Mowry Schlesinger1945Harriet Johnson1929Mary Gordon Ellis1923Gladys Pyle1937Jessie Sanders1923Marian Scudder Griffin1921Anna Lee Worley1923Edith Wilmans1927Margie Neal1897Sarah E. AndersonEurithe LaBarthe1896Martha Hughes Cannon1921Edna Beard1923Edna Beard1924Sarah Lee FainHelen Henderson1980Eva Mae Scott1913Frances AxtellNena Jolidon Croake1923Reba Hurn1923Anna Johnson Gates1934Hazel Edna Hyre1925Mildred BarberHellen BrooksHelen Thompson1975Kathryn Morrison1911Mary Bellamy1931Dora McGrathTerritories1953Zilpher JenningsMabel Reid 1955Cynthia TorresLagrimas Untalan–Unicameral1933María Luisa Arcelay De La Rosa1937María Martinez De Pérez Almiroty1953Ann Christian Abramson–Unicameral

State Legislative Leadership Leadership positions at the state legislatures include senate presidents, presidents pro tempore, house speakers, majority and minority leaders of the senate and house. In 2023, women held leadership positions in 35 state senates and in 32 state houses, which corresponds to 26% of 350 positions. 44 women (34D, 10R) serve in these leadership roles at State Senates and 47 (36D, 11R) serve at the State Houses. Nine states (AL, IN, KY, MS, NE, SC, SD, TX, WY) have no women in leadership positions.

Current Women Speakers of State Houses There are 10 (9D, 1R) women currently serving as the speakers of State Houses.

Julie McCluskie (D-CO) Adrienne A. Jones (D-MD) Melissa Hortman (D-MN) Julie Fahey (D-OR) Joanna McClinton (D-PA) Jill Krowinski (D-VT) Laurie Jinkins (D-WA) Nadine Nakamura (D-HI) Melissa Minor-Brown (D-DE) Lisa Demuth (R-MN)

Current Women Presidents or Presidents Pro Tempore of Senates There are 15 (11D, 4R) women currently serving as Presidents or Presidents Pro Tempore of State Senates. In some state the Lieutenant Governor is the President of the Senate

Michelle Kidani (D-HI)- Vice President of the Hawaii Senate Amy Sinclair (R-IA)- President of the Iowa Senate Regina Ashford Barrow (D-LA)- President pro tempore of the Louisiana Senate Karen Spilka (D-MA)- President of the Massachusetts Senate Ann H. Rest (D-MN)- President pro tempore of the Minnesota Senate Shirley Turner (D-NJ)- President pro tempore of the New Jersey Senate Mimi Stewart (D-NM)- President pro tempore of the New Mexico Senate Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-NY)- Temporary President and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate Kim L. Ward (R-PA)- President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Hanna M. Gallo (D-RI)- President pro tempore of the Rhode Island Senate Louise Lucas (D-VA) President pro tempore of the Virginia Senate Winsome Sears (R-VA) President of the Virginia Senate in her role as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Donna J. Boley (R-WV)- President pro tempore of the West Virginia Senate Eleni Kounalakis (D-CA)- President of the California Senate in her role as Lieutenant Governor of California Leslie Rutledge (R-AK)- President of the Arkansas Senate in her role as Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D-CO)- President pro tempore of the Colorado Senate