November 20, 2008  

Note: This article was originally published on August 21, 2000.

Percent of Female Elected Officials Shockingly Low

Run Date: 08/21/00

By Rita Henley Jensen WEnews editor in chief

Again, the political calculus did not come up with a woman candidate for vice president. Again, as we take stock of the numbers, the percentage of women in elected office remains shockingly low. Women represent 52 percent of the population but there are only three women governors (6 percent), nine women members of the Senate (9 percent) and 56 women members of the House of Representatives (13 percent). The percentage of U.S. female lawmakers has increased from three percent in 1955 to just 12.9 percent in 2000. Progress is painfully slow. Among nations with parliaments or congresses, the U.S. ranks 49th in the percentage of women in a lower or single house. The top five are Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands. Bosnia, Tajikistan and Uganda do better than the U.S.

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