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

State by State, Mothers Are Paid Much Less than Fathers

Mothers’ earnings are crucial for their own and their families’ economic security. Mothers are more likely than ever to be in the labor market: almost three-quarters (74.0 percent) of mothers of children under 18 were employed or looking for work in 2023, a higher [...]

By Cristy Mendoza, Miranda Peterson and Salma Elakbawy|August 1, 2024|Equitable Work and Wages, Fact Sheet, Publications|

Reproductive Health Care: Concerns and Priorities

A new national poll from IWPR higlights the critical importance of reproductive health and rights to American families. The poll, released two years after the landmark Dobbs decision, underscores the level of national support policymakers have to advance abortion access nationwide amid increasing state-level [...]

By Tessa Dee|July 29, 2024|IWPR Poll, Policy, Publications, Reproductive Justice and Health Equity|

The Economic Impacts of Reproductive Restrictions in Florida

Restrictions on reproductive health, like the gestational abortion ban implemented in Florida, have devastating and far-reaching impacts on the health and well-being of women. Furthermore, reproductive restrictions create barriers to women’s pursuit of education and their participation in the labor force, therefore inflicting adverse [...]

By Shannon Emmett|July 10, 2024|Briefing Paper, Policy, Publications, Reproductive Justice and Health Equity|

New IWPR Analysis Shows State Abortion Bans Cost the US Economy $68 Billion Annually

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 20, 2024 Contact: William Lutz 202-785-5100 Ahead of the Second Anniversary of the Overturn of Roe v. Wade, New IWPR Analysis Shows State Abortion Bans Cost the US Economy $68 Billion Annually Washington, DC — The Institute for Women's Policy [...]

By Tessa Dee|June 20, 2024|Publications, Reproductive Justice and Health Equity|

The Retirement Income Gap Leaves Women Aged 65+ at Higher Risk of Poverty than Men

At 32.6 percent, the gender gap in retirement income—the sum of pension and Social Security income—was 4.0 percent larger than the 28.0 percent gender gap in median earnings in 2021. Women’s account balances are the main driver of this gap. Read more on this [...]

By Hannah Gartner, Martha Susana Jaimes and Siavash Radpour|May 30, 2024|Equitable Work and Wages, Publications, Quick Figure|

Toward Equity: After a Decade of Progress, Gaps in Access to Paid Sick Leave Remain

This blog originally appeared on the Policies for Action (P4A) website.  The importance of paid sick leave was underscored in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world grappled with the challenges of a global health crisis, the simple act of staying home when [...]

By Afet Dundar PhD|May 22, 2024|Equitable Work and Wages, Publications|

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