January3,2017

Womeninthe115thCongressKellyDittmar,Ph.D.

In2017,104(78D,26R)womenholdseatsintheU.S.Congress,comprising19.4%ofthe535members;21(16D,5R)women(21%)serveintheU.S.Senateand83(62D,21R)women(19.1%)serveintheU.S.HouseofRepresentatives.Thisisthesametotalnumberofwomenthatservedinmostofthe114thCongress,buttherewasanetlossofonewomanintheHouseandanetgainofonewomanintheSenate.AftertheNovember2016specialelectionofRepresentativeColleenHanabusa(D-HI),105womenservedinthe114thCongress,onemorewomanthanservesin2017.Inaddition,fivenon-votingwomendelegates(3D,2R)representAmericanSamoa,Guam,theDistrictofColumbia,PuertoRico,andtheVirginIslandsthisyear;oneisanewcomertothe115thCongress.

PercentageofWomeninCongress,1971-2017

Source:CenterforAmericanWomenandPolitics,RutgersUniversityNote:DatareflectsthepercentageofwomenattheendofeachCongress,whichincludeswomensworninimmediatelyaftertheNovemberelection.PercentageofWomeninHouseandSenate,1971-2017

Source:CenterforAmericanWomenandPolitics,RutgersUniversityNote:DatareflectsthepercentageofwomenattheendofeachCongress,whichincludeswomensworninimmediatelyaftertheNovemberelection.

2.8

3 3.6

3.7

3.2

4.3

4.5

4.7

4.7

5.8 6 10

10.7

11.8

12.2

13.6

13.8

15.3

16

16.8

16.6

16.8

18.5

18.5

19.4

19.6

19.4

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Women Men

0

5

10

15

20

25

Senate House

NewWomenMembersofthe115thCongressTherearefourteenwomenin62-memberfreshmanclassofthe115thCongress.Tennon-incumbentwomen(8D,2R),includingformerRepresentativesColleenHanabusa(D-HI)andCarolShea-Porter(D-NH),wereelectedtotheHouse,andfournon-incumbentwomen(4D),includingHousememberTammyDuckworth(D-IL),wereelectedtotheSenateinNovember2016.ThisisthesecondhighestnumberofnewwomenelectedinanyoneCongress,matchingthenumbersinthe111th,112th,and114thCongresses.Twenty-eightnewwomenservedinthe103rdCongress,whichledtothedesignationof1992–theyearoftheirelection–asthe“YearoftheWoman.”

Perhapsmostnotably,nineofthefourteennon-incumbentwomenmembersofthe115thCongressarewomenofcolor.SixnewwomenofcolorserveintheHouse:NannetteBarragán(D-CA),PramilaJayapal(D-WA),ValDemings(D-FL),LisaBluntRochester(D-DE),ColleenHanabusa(D-HI),andStephanieMurphy(D-FL).ThreewomenofcolorjoinedSenatorMazieHirono(D-HI),theonlywomanofcolortoserveintheSenateinthe114thCongress,intheSenate:TammyDuckworth(D-IL),KamalaHarris(D-CA),andCatherineCortez-Masto(D-NV).RepublicanLizCheney(R-WY)nowservesintheseatonceheldbyherfather,formerVicePresidentDickCheney.

Womenare18%ofHousefreshmanand57%ofnewcomerstotheSenatein2017.Morespecifically,womenare30%ofHousefreshmanDemocrats,7%ofHousefreshmanRepublicans,andfouroffivenewDemocraticsenators.BothofthetwonewRepublicansenatorsaremen.

Non-IncumbentWomenEnteringthe115thSenateSenatorCatherineCortez-Masto(D-NV)SenatorTammyDuckworth(D-IL)SenatorKamalaHarris(D-CA)SenatorMaggieHassan(D-NH)

Non-IncumbentWomenEnteringthe115thHouseRepresentativeNannetteBarragán(D-CA44)RepresentativeLizCheney(R-WYAL)RepresentativeValDemings(D-FL10)RepresentativeColleenHanabusa(D-HI1)RepresentativePramilaJayapal(D-WA7)RepresentativeStephanieMurphy(D-FL7)RepresentativeLisaBluntRochester(D-DEAL)RepresentativeJackyRosen(D-NV3)RepresentativeCarolShea-Porter(D-NH1)RepresentativeClaudiaTenney(R-NY22)ResidentCommissionerJennifferGonzález(R-PuertoRico)

422

3

324

254

967

25

1011

420

712

2

252

22

38

31

363

23

104

72

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

94th(1975-1977)95th(1977-1979)96th(1979-1981)97th(1981-1983)98th(1983-1985)99th(1985-1987)100th(1987-1989)101st(1989-1991)102nd(1991-1993)103rd(1993-1995)104th(1995-1997)105th(1997-1999)106th(1999-2001)107th(2001-2003)108th(2003-2005)109th(2005-2007)110th(2007-2009)111th(2009-2011)112th(2011-2013)113th(2013-2015)114th(2015-2017)115th(2017-2019)

Non-IncumbentWomenEnteringEachCongress,byParty

Democrats Republicans

PartisanDifferencesinWomen’sCongressionalRepresentationProportionofWomeninEachPartyCaucusbyChamber,2017

Womenarejustunderone-third(32.2%)ofallDemocratsinthe115thCongress,whileRepublicanwomenarejustninepercentofallRepublicansholdingcongressionalseatsin2017.1Thisisnotsignificantlydifferentfromthewithin-partyrepresentationofwomeninthe114thCongress.

Source:CenterforAmericanWomenandPolitics,RutgersUniversityProportionofWomeninEachPartyinCongress,1981-2017

Source:CenterforAmericanWomenandPolitics,RutgersUniversity

WomenofColorinthe115thCongressThirty-eightwomenofcolor(35D,3R)serveinthe115thCongress,asdofourwomenofcolor(2D,2R)whoserveasdelegates.SevenAsian/PacificIslanderwomenareHouseDemocratsandtwoAsian-PacificIslanderwomenareDemocraticmembersoftheSenate.KamalaHarris,whoidentifiesasbothSouthAsianandBlack,isaDemocraticSenator.ShejoinsRepresentativePramilaJayapal(D-WA)asthefirstSouthAsianwomentoserveinCongress.InadditiontoHarris,seventeenBlackDemocraticwomenandoneBlackRepublicanwomanserveintheHouse.TheloneLatinaintheSenate,DemocratCatherineCortez-Masto,isthefirsteverelectedtotheU.S.Senate.NinemoreLatinasserveintheHouse,includingsevenDemocratsandtwoRepublicans.

1ThisincludestwoIndependentsenatorswhocaucuswiththeDemocrats.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Percen

t

Democrats Republicans

31.96

8.82

33.33

9.61

68.04

91.18

66.67

90.39

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

HouseDemocrats HouseRepublicans SenateDemocrats SenateRepublicans

Men

Women

Women’sCongressionalRepresentationbyState

NewRepresentativeLisaBluntRochester(D)isthefirstwoman,andwomanofcolor,toserveinDelaware’scongressionaldelegation.DelawarewasoneofthreestatesthathadsentonlymentoCongressasof2016.In2017,MississippiandVermontremaintheonlystatesthathaveneversentawomantotheU.S.Capitol.

SenatorCatherineCortez-Mastoisalsothefirstwoman,andfirstwomanofcolor,whomNevadahaselectedtotheU.S.Senate.WhileCaliforniahaselectedmultiplewomentotheU.S.Senate,KamalaHarrisisthefirstwomanofcolorthestatehassenttotheSenate.Likewise,RepresentativePramilaJayapalisthefirstwomanofcolorwhomWashingtonhassenttoCongress.

StateswithWomeninCongress,2017Thirteenstateshavenowomenrepresentingtheminthe115thCongress:AR,GA,ID,KY,LA,MD,MS,MT,OK,PA,RI,SC,VT.TheSenatehasthreeall-womendelegationsrepresentingCalifornia,NewHampshire,andWashington,thesamestatesthathadtwofemaleSenatorsinthe114thCongress.FivestateshaveonlywomenservingintheHouse:Delaware(1Representative),Hawaii(2Representatives),NewHampshire(2Representatives),SouthDakota(1Representative),andWyoming(1Representative).NewHampshireistheonlystatewithanall-womancongressionaldelegationin2017,andallofthemembersareDemocrats.

Source:CenterforAmericanWomenandPolitics,RutgersUniversity

ForMoreInformation

Findmoreinformationaboutthewomeninthe115thCongressandkeeptrackofthelatestnumbersofwomeninelectiveofficeatalllevelsathttp://www.cawp.rutgers.edu.Thereyoucanalsofindhistoricaldataonwomencandidatesandofficeholders.

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