Political Participation

Shaping their own future

When women participate in the political process, they shape policies in ways that reflect their interests and needs. The Status of Women in the States’ Political Participation Index looks at women as voters, grassroots activists and campaign fundraisers, and officeholders and examines the uneven progress they have made.

Explore the Data

The Political Participation Index measures women’s political participation through four key indicators. Each state is ranked and graded based on their performance on these four measures.

Women in Elected Office

State	Score	Rank
Alabama	-0.48	31
Alaska	0.09	19
Arizona	1.8	5
Arkansas	-0.94	46
California	1.41	7
Colorado	-0.02	21
Connecticut	-0.33	25
Delaware	0.22	18
Florida	-0.35	26
Georgia	-0.05	22
Hawaii	0.46	16
Idaho	-0.33	24
Illinois	0.55	14
Indiana	-0.45	29
Iowa	0.91	10
Kansas	0.26	17
Kentucky	-1.2	47
Louisiana	-1.52	50
Maine	1.83	4
Maryland	-0.77	38
Massachusetts	0.63	13
Michigan	1.64	6
Minnesota	1.36	8
Mississippi	-0.42	28
Missouri	-0.82	41
Montana	-0.72	37
Nebraska	-0.69	35
Nevada	2.55	1
New Hampshire	1.93	2
New Jersey	-0.63	33
New Mexico	0.7	12
New York	0.5	15
North Carolina	-0.87	43
North Dakota	-0.88	44
Ohio	-0.89	45
Oklahoma	-0.8	39
Oregon	0.93	9
Pennsylvania	-0.82	40
Rhode Island	0.83	11
South Carolina	-1.44	49
South Dakota	-0.25	23
Tennessee	-0.58	32
Texas	-0.85	42
Utah	-1.26	48
Vermont	-0.39	27
Virginia	-0.63	33
Washington	1.89	3
West Virginia	-0.71	36
Wisconsin	0.1	19
Wyoming	-0.47	30

Average Percent of Women Who Registered to Vote, 2016 and 2018

State	Percent	Rank
Alabama	69.6%	17
Alaska	66.6%	29
Arizona	62.4%	40
Arkansas	61.7%	43
California	54.5%	49
Colorado	65.4%	32
Connecticut	64.9%	36
Delaware	67.5%	25
Florida	59.5%	45
Georgia	65.1%	35
Hawaii	51.8%	50
Idaho	61.8%	42
Illinois	67.3%	26
Indiana	64.2%	39
Iowa	70.3%	15
Kansas	69.5%	19
Kentucky	72.4%	9
Louisiana	70.4%	14
Maine	79.8%	1
Maryland	67.8%	24
Massachusetts	65.2%	34
Michigan	72.8%	7
Minnesota	74.3%	3
Mississippi	77.9%	2
Missouri	73.7%	6
Montana	72.8%	7
Nebraska	69.6%	17
Nevada	59.3%	46
New Hampshire	71.1%	11
New Jersey	62.3%	41
New Mexico	61.6%	44
New York	58.8%	48
North Carolina	67.8%	23
North Dakota	73.7%	5
Ohio	71.1%	10
Oklahoma	64.5%	38
Oregon	69.5%	18
Pennsylvania	68.7%	21
Rhode Island	66.8%	27
South Carolina	68.2%	22
South Dakota	69.6%	16
Tennessee	64.7%	37
Texas	59.1%	47
Utah	66.2%	31
Vermont	70.4%	13
Virginia	68.8%	20
Washington	70.6%	12
West Virginia	65.4%	32
Wisconsin	74.1%	4
Wyoming	66.6%	29

Average Percent of Women Who Voted, 2016 and 2018

State	Percent	Rank
Alabama	54.9%	34
Alaska	56.1%	25
Arizona	55.5%	32
Arkansas	49.6%	44
California	47.6%	48
Colorado	60.4%	12
Connecticut	54.3%	35
Delaware	55.7%	31
Florida	51.8%	40
Georgia	56.6%	22
Hawaii	43.7%	50
Idaho	52.8%	37
Illinois	55.8%	29
Indiana	52.3%	39
Iowa	60.1%	13
Kansas	58.0%	19
Kentucky	56.0%	28
Louisiana	55.7%	30
Maine	70.5%	1
Maryland	55.4%	33
Massachusetts	56.1%	27
Michigan	61.8%	8
Minnesota	64.6%	4
Mississippi	62.4%	6
Missouri	60.6%	10
Montana	65.7%	3
Nebraska	58.6%	18
Nevada	49.1%	45
New Hampshire	61.6%	9
New Jersey	52.6%	38
New Mexico	50.3%	43
New York	49.1%	46
North Carolina	56.2%	24
North Dakota	63.5%	5
Ohio	59.3%	14
Oklahoma	51.7%	41
Oregon	60.5%	11
Pennsylvania	57.4%	21
Rhode Island	54.0%	36
South Carolina	56.1%	25
South Dakota	56.4%	23
Tennessee	51.1%	42
Texas	47.2%	49
Utah	57.9%	20
Vermont	59.2%	15
Virginia	58.8%	16
Washington	62.0%	7
West Virginia	48.2%	47
Wisconsin	67.4%	2
Wyoming	58.7%	17

Women’s Institutional Resources Index

State	Score	Rank
Alabama	1.00	25
Alaska	0.00	50
Arizona	1.00	25
Arkansas	0.50	40
California	2.00	1
Colorado	1.00	25
Connecticut	1.50	5
Delaware	1.50	5
Florida	2.00	1
Georgia	1.50	5
Hawaii	1.50	5
Idaho	0.50	40
Illinois	1.00	25
Indiana	1.50	5
Iowa	1.50	5
Kansas	1.50	5
Kentucky	1.50	5
Louisiana	0.50	40
Maine	1.00	25
Maryland	1.00	25
Massachusetts	2.00	1
Michigan	1.50	5
Minnesota	1.50	5
Mississippi	1.00	25
Missouri	1.50	5
Montana	0.50	40
Nebraska	0.50	40
Nevada	0.50	40
New Hampshire	1.00	25
New Jersey	1.50	5
New Mexico	1.00	25
New York	1.50	5
North Carolina	1.50	5
North Dakota	1.00	25
Ohio	1.50	5
Oklahoma	1.50	5
Oregon	1.50	5
Pennsylvania	1.50	5
Rhode Island	0.50	40
South Carolina	1.00	25
South Dakota	1.00	25
Tennessee	1.50	5
Texas	2.00	1
Utah	0.50	40
Vermont	1.00	25
Virginia	0.50	40
Washington	1.50	5
West Virginia	1.00	25
Wisconsin	1.00	25
Wyoming	0.50	40

Political Participation Rank and Score by State

Articles and Publications

Abortion Bans Are Driving Away Young and Educated Workers

Abortion restrictions are not just limiting reproductive health care access—they are driving people away from states with abortion bans or severe restrictions. Recent IWPR research based on a survey of 10,000 adults found that 1 in 10—and 1 in 5 planning to have children [...]

By Melissa Mahoney|April 2, 2025|Quick Figure, Reproductive Justice and Health Equity|

DC Paid Family Leave: Access and Impact on Workers

This report summarizes findings from 12 interviews with beneficiaries of DC Paid Family Leave. These conversations provided insights into how having access to paid leave benefits impacted participants’ financial, mental, and physical well-being, as well as their ability to perform their caregiving responsibilities and [...]

By Afet Dundar PhD and Jennifer Turner PhD|March 27, 2025|Caregiving and Families, Equitable Work and Wages, Report|

Women Earn Less than Men Whether They Work in the Same or Different Occupations

Women’s median earnings for a week of full-time work are lower than men’s in nearly all occupations, irrespective of whether these occupations are mainly held by women, mainly held by men, or whether the gender division is more equal. Read the latest findings from [...]

By Ariane Hegewisch and Cristy Mendoza|March 19, 2025|Equitable Work and Wages, Fact Sheet|

Flexible Work and Women’s Well-Being: Poll Results

In November 2024, Morning Consult, on behalf of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, surveyed 8,011 women ages 25–65 in the United States about remote working and schedule flexibility and control, perceived work-life balance and supports, and perceived health. Results are for employed women [...]

By IWPR Administrator|March 7, 2025|Equitable Work and Wages, IWPR Poll, Publications|

Women at Work Five Years Since the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Any Progress?

On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency in response to the COVID-19 virus and, subsequently, 42 states and territories issued mandatory stay-at-home orders. By April 2020, the overall rate of unemployment had spiked to 14.7 percent, up from 4.4 percent a [...]

By Ariane Hegewisch, Martha Susana James, Melissa Mahoney and Cristy Mendoza|March 6, 2025|Equitable Work and Wages, Fact Sheet, Publications|

The Intersection of Workplace Flexibility and Exercise by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity

IWPR analyzed the American Time Use Survey Leave Module 2017–2018 to assess the relationship between workplace flexibility and workers’ likelihood of exercising. The analysis examines exercise rates when employees have greater control over when and where they work and compares those rates to workplaces [...]

By Binderiya Byambasuren, Robyn Watson Ellerbe and Ariane Hegewisch|March 3, 2025|Equitable Work and Wages, Publications, Report|

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