Women in Congress:
Statistics and Brief Overview
Updated December 4, 2020
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R43244

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Summary
One hundred thirty women currently serve in the 116th Congress. There are 105 women serving in
the House (including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner), 90 Democrats and 15
Republicans. There are 25 women in the Senate, 17 Democrats and 8 Republicans.
These 130 women surpass the previous record of 115 women at the close of the 115th Congress.
The numbers of women serving fluctuated during the 115th Congress; there were 109 women
initial y sworn in, 5 women subsequently elected to the House, 2 appointed to the Senate, and 1
woman in the House who died in office.
The very first woman elected to Congress was Representative Jeannette Rankin (R-MT, served
1917-1919 and 1941-1943). The first woman to serve in the Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton
(D-GA). She was appointed in 1922 and served for only one day. Hattie Caraway (D-AR, served
1931-1945) was the first Senator to succeed her husband and the first woman elected to a six-year
Senate term.
A total of 366 women have ever been elected or appointed to Congress, including 247 Democrats
and 119 Republicans. These figures include six nonvoting Delegates (one each from Guam,
Hawai , the District of Columbia, and American Samoa, and two from the U.S. Virgin Islands), as
wel as one Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico. Of these,
 309 (211 Democrats, 98 Republicans) women have been elected only to the
House of Representatives;
 41 (25 Democrats, 16 Republicans) women have been elected or appointed only
to the Senate;
 16 (11 Democrats, 5 Republicans) women have served in both houses;
 47 African American women have served in Congress (2 in the Senate, 45 in the
House), including 25 serving in the 116th Congress;
 13 Asian Pacific American women have served in Congress (10 in the House, 1
in the Senate, and 2 in both the House and Senate), including 10 in the 116th
Congress;
 20 Hispanic women have served in Congress (including 1 in the Senate),
including 15 in the 116th Congress; and
 2 American Indian women, both currently serving in the House, have served in
Congress.
In the 116th Congress, nine women serve as committee chairs (seven in the House, two in the
Senate).
This report includes historical information, including the number of women in Congress over
time; means of entry to Congress; comparisons to international and state legislatures; records for
tenure; firsts for women in Congress; women in leadership; African American, Asian Pacific
American, Hispanic, and American Indian women in Congress; as wel as a brief overview of
research questions related to the role and impact of women in Congress. The Appendix provides
details on the total number of women who have served in each Congress, including information
on changes within a Congress. The numbers in the report may be affected by the time periods
used when tal ying any particular number. The text and notes throughout the report provide
details on time periods used for the tal ies and the currency of the information.
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Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview

For additional biographical information—including the committee assignments, dates of service,
listings by Congress and state, and (for Representatives) congressional districts of the 366 women
who have been elected or appointed to Congress—see CRS Report RL30261, Women in
Congress, 1917-2020: Service Dates and Committee Assignments by Member, and Lists by State
and Congress, by Jennifer E. Manning and Ida A. Brudnick.
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Appendixes
Appendix. Total Number of Women Who Served in Each Congress ...................................... 17

Contacts
Author Information ....................................................................................................... 20

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Introduction
Including the first woman to serve in 1917, a total of 366 women have been elected or appointed
to serve in the U.S. Congress. That first woman was Jeannette Rankin (R-MT), who was elected
on November 9, 1916, to the 65th Congress (1917-March 4, 1919).
Table 1 details this service by women in the House, Senate, and both chambers.1
Table 1. Women Members of Congress: Summary Statistics, 1917-Present
(Inclusive through January 6, 2020)
House
Service
Women
House
Only
House
who have
Senate
Service
(Delegates and
Service
Served in
Total
Service
Only
Resident
Only
Both

Women
Only
(Representatives)
Commissioner)
(Subtotal)
Chambers
Total
366a
41
302
7a
309a
16
Democrats
247
25
207
4
211
11
Republicans
119
16
95
3
98
5
Source: U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian and Office of Art and Archives, “Women in Congress,”
http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-Congress.
Note: The House and Senate totals each include one woman who was elected but never sworn in.
a. The total number of female Members of the House includes one Delegate to the House of Representatives
from Hawai prior to statehood; one from the District of Columbia, Guam, and American Samoa; and two
from the U.S. Virgin Islands. The total number also includes one Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.
The 116th Congress began with 131 women.2 Table 2 shows that women currently account for
 23.6% of voting Members in the House and Senate (126 of 535);
 24.0% of total Members in the House and Senate (130 of 541, including the
Delegates and Resident Commissioner);
 23.2% of voting Representatives in the House (101 of 435);
 23.8% of total Members in the House (105 of 441, including the Delegates and
Resident Commissioner); and
 25.0% of the Senate.

1 T hroughout this report, House and Senate totals each include one woman elected but not sworn in or seated due to the
House or Senate being out of session. Both women are included in various official congressional publications,
including, for example, the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (http://bioguide.congress.gov),
“Women in Congress” (http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-Congress), and “Senators
of the United States 1789-present: a chronological list of senators since the First Congress in 1789,” maintained by the
Senate Historical Office (http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/chronlist.pdf).
2 One female House Member resigned in November 2019. One female Senator was appointed and took the oath of
office on January 3, 2019, the first day of the 116 th Congress, and served until December 2, 2020, following a special
election for the remainder of the term. Another female Senator was appointed and took the oath of office on January 6,
2020.

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Table 2. Number of Women Members of the 116th Congress
Nonvoting
Members
House Subtotal
(Delegates and
(Representatives
Total
Resident
and Nonvoting

Women
Senators
Representatives
Commissioner)
Members)
Total
130
25
101
4
105
Democrats
107
17
88
2
90
Republicans
23
8
13
2
15
Source: U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian and Office of Art and Archives, “Women in Congress,”
http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-Congress.
Notes: The 116th Congress began with 131 women in the House and Senate (including one Senator who was
appointed). One woman resigned from the House in November 2019. One female Senator was appointed and
took the oath of office on January 3, 2019, the first day of the 116th Congress, and served until December 2,
2020, fol owing a special election for the remainder of the term. Another female Senator was appointed and
took the oath of office on January 6, 2020. Three of the women who serve in the House are Delegates,
representing the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. One woman serves as the
Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico. Information in this table is current as of the date of the report.
This report includes historical information, including the (1) number and percentage of women in
Congress over time; (2) means of entry to Congress; (3) comparisons to international and state
legislatures; (4) records for tenure; (5) firsts for women in Congress; (6) African American, Asian
Pacific, Hispanic American, and American Indian women in Congress; and (7) women in
leadership. It also provides a brief overview of research questions related to the role and impact
of women in Congress.
For additional biographical information—including the names, committee assignments, dates of
service, listings by Congress and state, and (for Representatives) congressional districts of the
women who have served in Congress—see CRS Report RL30261, Women in Congress, 1917-
2020: Service Dates and Committee Assignments by Member, and Lists by State and Congress, by
Jennifer E. Manning and Ida A. Brudnick.
Since the 65th Congress (1917-1918), the number of women serving in Congress general y
increased incremental y, and on a few occasions, decreased. In an exception to these incremental
changes, the elections in 1992, which came to be known popularly as the “Year of the Woman,”
represented a jump in the number of women in Congress.3 As a result of this 1992 election,
whereas the 102nd Congress (1991-1992) concluded with 34 women, on the first day of the 103rd
Congress (1993-1994), the number of women in Congress increased 58.8%, to 54 women.4 More
recently, the 115th Congress concluded with 115 women, and on the first day of the 116th
Congress, the number of women in Congress increased 13.9%, to 131 women.5

3 The Year of the Woman: Myths and Realities, ed. Elizabeth Adell Cook, Sue T homas, and Clyde Wilcox (Boulder,
CO: Westview Press, 1994).
4 T he 102nd Congress final-day total includes three women who were not present at the start of the Congress (one
House Member and one Senator elected to fill a vacancy and one Senator appointed to fill a vacancy). T he 103 rd
Congress first -day total does not include one woman who was not present at the start of the Congress (a Senator who
was elected to fill a vacancy).
5 T he 115th Congress final-day total includes seven women who were not present at the start of the Congress ( five
House Members who were elected to fill a vacancy and two Senators who were appointed to fill a vacancy ) and one
House Member who resigned on December 31, 2018. It excludes one House Member who died in office during the
Congress.
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Figure 1 shows the changes in the number of women serving in each Congress. For a table listing
the total number of women who have served in each Congress, including information on turnover
within a Congress, please see Table A-2 in the Appendix.
Figure 1. Number of Women by Congress: 1917-2019
(Data for the 116th Congress are for the beginning of the Congress)

Source: “Women in the U.S. Congress 2019” and “History of Women in the U.S. Congress,” Center for
American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University, http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/
women-us-congress-2019 and http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/history-women-us-congress. Figure compiled by
CRS.
Notes: Delegates and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico are not included in the data. The fact sheet
indicates that data in the “table for Congresses prior to the current one shows maximum number of women
elected or appointed to serve in that Congress at one time. Some fil ed out unexpired terms and some were
never sworn in.”
Figure 2 shows division of men and women in Congress historical y and in the 116th Congress.
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Figure 2. Women as a Percentage of Total Members Since 1789 and
in the 116th Congress
(Data for the 116th Congress are for the beginning of the Congress)

Source: House of Representatives, Total Members of the House and State Representation, last updated January 3,
2020, http://history.house.gov/Institution/Total-Members/Total-Members/. This states “Since the U.S. Congress
convened on March 4, 1789, 12,343 individuals have served as Representatives, Senators, or in both capacities.
There have been 10,360 Members who served only as Representatives, 1,305 Members who served only in the
Senate, and 677 Members with service in both chambers. The total number of Representatives (including
individuals serving in both bodies) is 11,037.” See also Senate Historical Office, Senators of the United States, 1789-
present, at http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/chronlist.pdf. This information is updated
once per Congress.
Notes: The House and Senate totals each include one woman who was elected but never sworn in. Delegates
and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico are not included in the data.
As seen in Figure 3, 49 states (al except Vermont),6 4 territories (American Samoa, Guam,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and the District of Columbia have been represented by
a woman in Congress at some time since 1917.7
Four states (Alaska, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Vermont) have never elected a woman to the
House.
Eighteen states have never been represented by a female Senator. Fourteen states have been
represented by one female Senator, 12 have sent two, and 6 states have sent three.

6 Vermont, however, ranks fifth for percentage of women in state government. For additional information, see the
“State-House Perspective” section.
7 T otals include one woman from South Carolina (House) and one woman from South Dakota (Senate) elected but
never sworn in due to the House or Senate being out of session.
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Figure 3. Number of Women in the House and Senate by State, District, or Territory,
1917-Present
(Inclusive through January 6, 2020; numbers include Delegates and the Resident Commissioner)

Source: CRS summary, based on House of Representatives, Women in Congress, available at
http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-Congress/.
Notes: The 16 women who have served in both the House and Senate are counted in each tal y. Also counted
are one woman from South Carolina (House) and one woman from South Dakota (Senate) who were elected
but never sworn in due to the House or Senate being out of session.
How Women Enter Congress: Regular Elections,
Special Elections, and Appointments
Pursuant to Article I, Section 2, clause 4 of the U.S. Constitution, al Representatives enter office
through election, even those who enter after a seat becomes open during a Congress.8 By contrast,
the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified on April 8, 1913, gives state
legislatures the option to empower governors to fil Senate vacancies by temporary appointment.9

8 “[W]hen vacancies happen in the Representation from an y State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of
Election to fill such Vacancies.” Article I, Section 2, clause 4 of the U.S. Constitution.
9 Prior to the ratification of this amendment, Senators were chosen pursuant to Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution.
For additional information, see Direct Election of Senators, at http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/
briefing/Direct_Election_Senators.htm.
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The 57 women who have served in the Senate entered initial y through three different routes:
 34 entered through regularly scheduled elections,
 18 were appointed to unexpired terms, and
 5 were elected by special election.10
As Figure 4 shows, approximately 70% (39) of al women who have served in the Senate initial y
entered Senate service by winning an election (regular or special). Approximately 30% of women
Senators entered the Senate initial y through an appointment. Of the 18 women who entered by
appointment, 10 served less than one year.
Since the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1913, nine years prior
to the first appointment of a woman to fil a Senate vacancy, 201 Senators have been appointed.11
Of these appointees, 91.0% (183) have been men, and 8.9% (18) were women.12
Figure 4. Women’s Initial Entrance to the Senate: Regular Elections, Special
Elections, and Appointments to Unexpired Terms
(Inclusive through January 6, 2020)

Source: Figure compiled by CRS based on descriptions in the Biographical Directory of the United States
Congress (http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp).

10 T his includes one woman who was elected but never sworn in.
11 “Appointed Senators” list available at http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/
senators_appointed.htm.
12 T otal number of Senators since January 1, 1913, was derived from the Senate’s “Senators of the United States 1789 -
present: A chronological list of senators since the First Congress in 1789,” available at http://www.senate.gov/
artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/chronlist.pdf. Senators are listed by date of initial service. Members who served
nonconsecutive terms are counted once.
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Women in Congress as Compared with Women in
Other Legislative Bodies
International Perspective
The current total percentage of voting female representation in Congress (23.7%) is slightly lower
than averages of female representation in other countries. According to the Inter-Parliamentary
Union (IPU), as of January 1, 2018, women represented 24.3% of national legislative seats (both
houses) across the entire world. In the IPU database of worldwide female representation, the
United States ties for 78th worldwide for women in the lower chamber. The Nordic countries
(Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Denmark, and Norway) lead the world regional y with 42.3% female
representation in national legislatures.13
State-House Perspective
The percentage of women in Congress also is lower than the percentage of women holding seats
in state legislatures. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, in 2019, “2,117,
or 28.7% of the 7,383 state legislators in the United States are women. Women currently hold
504, or 25.6%, of the 1,972 state senate seats and 1,613, or 29.8%, of the 5,411 state house or
assembly seats.”14 Across the 50 states, the total seats held by women range from 13.8% in
Mississippi to 50.8% in Nevada.15
Since the beginning of the 92nd Congress (1971-1972), the first Congress for which comparative
state legislature data are available,16 the total percentage of women in state legislatures has
eclipsed the percentage of women in Congress (see Figure 5). The greatest disparity between the
percentages of female voting representation in state legislatures as compared with Congress
occurred in the early 1990s, when women comprised 6.0% of the total Congress in the 102nd
Congress (1991-1992), but 18.3% of state legislatures in 1991. The gap has since narrowed.

13 Inter-Parliamentary Union, Women in National Parliaments, situation as of 1st December 2018, at
http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm. See also the archive of historical data at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world-
arc.htm. T his data will be updated once per Congress. For statistics on women serving in the national legislatures of
193 countries, see the IPU chart at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm; see also, Frank C. T hames and Margaret S.
Williams, Contagious Representation: Wom en’s Political Representation in Dem ocracies around the World (New
York University Press: New York, 2013).
14 Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University, Women in State
Legislatures 2019, at http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/women-state-legislature-2019.
15 Ibid.
16 T he Center for American Women and Politics provides data for state legislatures for odd-numbered years.
Congressional data show the maximum number of women elected or appointed to serve in a Congress at one time
during that Congress.
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Figure 5. Women in Congress and State Legislatures: 1971-2019
(Data for the 116th Congress are for the beginning of the Congress)

Source: Data for women legislators as a percentage of total state legislators derived from Fact Sheet, “Women
in State Legislatures 2019,” and “History of Women in the U.S. Congress,” Center for American Women and
Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University. Figures compiled by CRS.
Notes: Data include upper and lower chambers. Delegates and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico
are not included in the data. The fact sheet for Congress indicates that the “table for Congresses prior to the
current one shows maximum number of women elected or appointed to serve in that Congress at one time.
Some fil ed out unexpired terms and some were never sworn in.” Data for the 116th Congress are for the
beginning of the Congress.
Female Election Firsts in Congress
 First woman elected to Congress. Representative Jeannette Rankin (R-MT,
1917-1919, 1941-1943).
 First woman to serve in the Senate. Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA) was
appointed in 1922 to fil the unexpired term of a Senator who had died in office.
In addition to being the first female Senator, Mrs. Felton holds two other Senate
records. Her tenure in the Senate remains the shortest ever (one day), and, at the
age of 87, she is the oldest person ever to begin Senate service.
 First woman to succeed her spouse in the Senate and also the first female
initially elected to a full six-year term. Hattie Caraway (D-AR, 1931-1945) was
first appointed in 1931 to fil the vacancy caused by the death of her husband,
Thaddeus H. Caraway (D-AR, House, 1913-1921; Senate, 1921-1931), and then
was subsequently elected to two six-year terms.
 First woman elected to the Senate without having first been appointed to
serve in that body and first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.
Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME) was elected to the Senate and served from
January 3, 1949, until January 3, 1973. She had previously served in the House
(June 3, 1940, to January 3, 1949).
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 First woman elected to the Senate without first having been elected to the
House or having been elected or appointed to fill an unexpired Senate term.
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-KS, 1979-1997).
 First woman elected Speaker of the House. As Speaker of the House in the
110th and 111th Congresses (2007-2010), Nancy Pelosi held the highest position
of leadership ever by a woman in the U.S. government. She was elected Speaker
again at the beginning of the 116th Congress.
Records for Length of Service
 Longest total length of service by a woman in Congress. Senator Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD), who served from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 2017, holds
this record (40 years, 10 of which were spent in the House). On March 17, 2012,
Senator Mikulski surpassed the record previously held by Edith Nourse Rogers
(R-MA).
 Longest length of service by a woman in the House. On March 18, 2018,
currently serving Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) surpassed the record
previously held by Representative Rogers. Representative Kaptur has been
serving in the House since January 3, 1983 (36 years). Representative Rogers
served in the House for 35 years, from June 25, 1925, until her death on
September 10, 1960.
 Longest length of service by a woman in the Senate. Senator Mikulski also
holds the record for length of Senate service by a woman (30 years). In January
2011, she broke the service record previously held by Senator Margaret Chase
Smith (R-ME), who served 24 years in the Senate and 8.6 years in the House.
Women Who Have Served in Both Houses
Sixteen women have served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME) was the first such woman, as wel as the first woman elected to
the Senate without first having been elected or appointed to fil a vacant Senate seat. She was first
elected to the House to fil the vacancy caused by the death of her husband (Clyde Smith, R-ME,
1937-1940), and she served from June 10, 1940, until January 3, 1949, when she began her
Senate service. She served in the Senate until January 3, 1973.
African American Women in Congress
Twenty-five African American women serve in the 116th Congress, including 2 Delegates, a
record number. The previous record number was 21, including 2 Delegates, serving at the end of
the 115th Congress.
A total of 47 African American women have served in Congress.17 The first was Representative
Shirley Chisholm (D-NY, 1969-1983). Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL, 1993-1999) was the

17 T his number includes one Senator, Kamala Harris, who is of African American and Asian ancestry. In this report,
this Senator is counted as belonging to two ethnic groups. For additional information, see U.S. Congress, House, Office
of the Historian, Black Am ericans in Congress, at http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Black-
Americans-in-Congress/, and Asian and Pacific Islander Am ericans in Congress at http://history.house.gov/apa/.
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first African American woman to have served in the Senate. The African American women
Members of the 116th Congress are listed in Table 3.
Table 3. African American Women in the 116th Congress
(Al are House Members except for Senator Kamala Harris)
Sen. Kamala Harris
Alma Adams (D-NC)
Jahana Hayes (D-CT)
Gwen Moore (D-WI)
(D-CA)
Karen Bass (D-CA)
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
Joyce Beatty (D-OH)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-
Ayana Pressley (D-MA)
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
TX)
Terri Sewel (D-AL)
Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
Robin Kel y (D-IL)
Lauren Underwood (D-IL)
Val Demings (D-FL)
Brenda Lawrence (D-MI)
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Bonnie Watson Coleman

Lucy McBath (D-GA)
(D-NJ)

Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
Eleanor Holmes Norton
(D-DC) [Delegate]
Stacey Plaskett (D-VI)
[Delegate]

Source: U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/
WIC/Historical-Data/Women-of-Color-in-Congress/.
Note: Sen. Kamala Harris is also Asian Pacific American, and she is counted in both categories.
Asian Pacific American Women in Congress
Ten Asian Pacific American women serve in the 116th Congress.18 Patsy Mink (D-HI), who served
in the House from 1965-1977 and again from 1990-2002, was the first of 13 Asian Pacific
American women to serve in Congress. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) is the first Asian Pacific American
woman to serve in both the House and Senate.
Table 4. Asian Pacific American Women in the 116th Congress
(Al House Members except for Senators Duckworth, Harris, and Hirono)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Judy Chu (D-CA)
Doris O. Matsui (D-CA)
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Grace Meng (D-NY)
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)

Aumua Amata Coleman
Radewagen (R-AS) [Delegate]
Source: U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/
WIC/Historical-Data/Women-of-Color-in-Congress/ and http://history.house.gov/apa/.
Note: Sen. Kamala Harris is also African American, and is counted in both categories.

18 T his number includes one Senator, Kamala Harris, who is of African American and Asian ancestry. In this report,
this Senator is counted as belonging to two ethnic groups.
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Hispanic Women in Congress
Twenty Hispanic or Latino women have served in Congress, al but one in the House, and 15 of
them, a record number, serve in the 116th Congress. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL,
1989-2018) is the first Hispanic woman to serve in Congress, and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV,
2017-present) is the first Hispanic woman Senator.19
Table 5. Hispanic Women in the 116th Congress
(Al are House Members except for Senator Cortez Masto)
Sen. Catherine Cortez
Nanette Diaz Barragán
Debbie Mucarsel-Powel (D-
Linda Sánchez (D-CA)
Masto (D-NV)
(D-CA)
FL)
Norma Torres (D-CA)
Veronica Escobar (D-TX)

Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)
Grace Flores Napolitano (D-
Xochitl Torres Smal (D-
Jennifer González-Colon
CA)
NM)
(R-PR) [Resident
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-
Lori Trahan (D-MA)
Commissioner]
NY)

Jamie Herrera Beutler
Lucil e Roybal-Al ard (D-CA)
Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
(R-WA)
Source: U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, at http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/
WIC/Historical-Data/Women-of-Color-in-Congress/.
American Indian (Native American) Women in
Congress
Representatives Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Deb Haaland (D-NM), both first elected to the 116th
Congress, are the first female enrolled members of federally recognized tribes to serve in
Congress.
Women Who Have Served in Party Leadership
Positions20
A number of women in Congress, listed in Table 6, have held positions in their party’s
leadership.21 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds the highest position of leadership in the
U.S. government ever held by a woman. As Speaker of the House in the 116th Congress, she is
second in the line of succession for the presidency. She also served as Speaker in the 110th and
111th Congresses. In the 108th, 109th, and 112th-115th Congresses, she was elected the House
Democratic leader. Previously, Representative Pelosi was elected House Democratic whip, in the
107th Congress, on October 10, 2001, effective January 15, 2002. She was also the first woman

19 For additional information, see U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, Hispanic Americans in Congress, at
http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/HAIC/Hispanic-Americans-in-Congress/.
20 For additional information, refer to CRS Report RL30567, Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2019,
by Valerie Heitshusen. Limited information on the leadership positions held by women in Congress can also be found
in CRS Report RL30261, Wom en in Congress, 1917-2020: Service Dates and Com m ittee Assignm ents by Mem ber, and
Lists by State and Congress, by Jennifer E. Manning and Ida A. Brudnick .
21 U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, “ Women Elected to Party Leadership Positions, 1949–Present,”
http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Data/Women-Elected-to-Party-Leadership/.
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nominated to be Speaker of the House. Senator Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME), chair of the
Senate Republican Conference from 1967 to 1972, holds the Senate record for the highest, as wel
as first, leadership position held by a female Senator. The first woman Member to be elected to
any party leadership position was Chase Going Woodhouse (D-CT), who served as House
Democratic Caucus Secretary in the 81st Congress (1949-1950).
Table 6. Selected Congressional Party Leadership Positions Held by Women
Position
Member
Congresses
Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
110th-111th, 116th (2007-2010,
2019-present)
House Democratic Leader
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
108th-109th, 112th-115th (2003-
2006, 2011-2018)
House Democratic Whip
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
107th (2001-2002)
Chief Deputy Democratic Whip
Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)
114th-115th (2015-2018)
Terri Sewel (D-AL)
113th-116th (2013-present)
Diana DeGette (D-CO)
112th-115th (2011-2018)
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
112th-116th (2011-present)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-
112th-116th (2011-present)
FL)

Maxine Waters (D-CA)
106th-110th (1999-2008)
House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair
Katherine Clark (D-MA)
116th (2019-present)
Linda Sánchez (D-CA
115th (2017-2018)
Barbara Kennel y (D-CT
104th-105th (1995-1998)
Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH)
100th (1987-1988)

House Democratic Caucus Secretarya
Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH)
99th (1985-1986)
Geraldine Ferraro (D-NY)
97th-98th (1981-1984)
Shirley Chisholm (D-NY)
95th-96th (1977-1980)
Patsy Mink (D-HI)
94th (1975-1976)
Leonor Kretzer Sul ivan (D-MO)
86th-87th (1959-1962), 88th, 2nd

session-93rd (1964-1974)
Edna Flannery Kel y (D-NY)
83rd-84th (1953-1956), 88th, 1st
session (1963)
Chase Going Woodhouse (D-
CT)
81st (1949-1950)

House Republican Conference Chair
Liz Cheney (R-WY)
116th (2019-present)
Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA)
113th-115th (2013-2018)
Deborah Pryce (R-OH)
108th-109th (2003-2006)

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Position
Member
Congresses
House Republican Conference Vice
Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)
113th-114th (2013-2016)
Chair
Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA)
111th-112th (2009-2012)
Deborah Pryce (R-OH)
107th (2001-2002)
Kay Granger (R-TX)
110th (2007-2008)
Til ie Fowler (R-FL)
106th (1999-2000)
Jennifer Dunn (R-WA)
105th (1997-1998)
Susan Molinari (R-NY)
104th-105th (1995-Aug. 1997)
Lynn Martin (R-IL)
99th-100th (1985-1988)
House Republican Conference
Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
113th-114th (2013-2016)
Secretary
Barbara Cubin (R-WY)
107th (2001-2002)
Deborah Pryce (R-OH)
106th (1999-2000)
Barbara Vucanovich (R-NV)
104th (1995-1996)
Senate Republican Conference Chair
Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME)
90th-92nd (1967-1972)
Senate Republican Conference Vice
Joni Ernst (R-IA)
116th (2019-present)
Chairb
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
111th (2009-2010)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
107th-109th (2001-2006)

Assistant Democratic Leader
Patty Murray (D-WA)
116th (2019-present)

Senate Democratic Conference Vice
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
115th-116th (2017-present)
Chair
Senate Democratic Conference
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
115th-116th (2017-present)
Secretary
Patty Murray (D-WA)
110th-114th (2007-2016)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
109th (2005-2006)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
104th-108th (1995-2004)
Senate Chief Deputy Democratic Whip
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
110th-114th (2007-2016)
Source: U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, “Women in Party Leadership Positions, 1949-Present.”
http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Data/Women-Elected-to-Party-Leadership/,
and CRS Report RL30567, Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2019, by Valerie Heitshusen.
a. The title of this position changed from “Secretary” to “Vice Chair” with the 100th Congress.
b. This position was previously known as the Conference Secretary.
Women and Leadership of Congressional
Committees
As chair of the House Expenditures in the Post Office Department Committee (67th-68th
Congresses), Mae El a Nolan was the first woman to chair any congressional committee. As chair
of the Senate Enrolled Bil s Committee (73rd-78th Congresses), Hattie Caraway was the first
woman to chair a Senate committee. In total,
 25 women have chaired a House committee (including select committees);
 14 women have chaired a Senate committee (including select and special
committees);
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 1 female Senator has chaired two joint committees (related to her service on a
standing committee); and
 3 female Representatives have chaired a joint committee (including one related to
her service on a standing committee).22
In the 116th Congress, women chair six standing committees in the House, one standing
committee in the Senate, one select committee in the House, and one select committee in the
Senate. In addition, a woman chairs one joint committee related to her service on a standing
committee.
Table 7. Committees Chaired by Women, 116th Congress
Committee
Chair
House Committee on Appropriations
Nita Lowey (D-NY)
House Committee on Financial Services
Maxine Waters (D-FL)
House Committee on House Administration
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
House Committee on Oversight and Reform
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
House Committee on Smal Business
Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
Kathy Castor (D-FL)
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Senate Special Committee on Aging
Susan Col ins (R-ME)
Joint Committee on Printing
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Source: “Women Who Have Chaired Congressional Committees in the U.S. House, 1923 -present” table of the
Women in Congress website at http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Data/
Women-Chairs-of-Congressional-Committees/; and the “Committee Assignments of the 116th Congress”
website at http://www.senate.gov/general/committee_assignments/assignments.htm.
Pursuant to H.Res. 6 (116th Congress), the Speaker of the House appoints members to the House Select
Committee on the Climate Crisis. See also Charles W. Johnson, John V. Sul ivan, and Thomas J. Wickham, Jr.,
House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents, and Procedures of the House (Washington: GPO, 2017), p. 241,
Chapter 1, §1.

22 T otals include standing, special, and select committees. Some women have chaired multiple committees. Multiple
sources were consulted for this tally. T he sources consulted include “ Women Who Have Chaired Congressional
Committees in the U.S. House, 1923-present ,” table of the Wom en in Congress website, at http://history.house.gov/
Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Data/Women-Chairs-of-Congressional-Committees/; “ Women in
Congress: Leadership Roles and Committee Chairs,” at https://cawp.rutgers.edu/women-congress-leadership-
committees; “ Chairmen of Senate Standing Committees,” at https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/
pdf/CommitteeChairs.pdf; and the entries for all the women who have served in Congress in the Biographical
Directory of the United States Congress, at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp.
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Women in Congress: Examinations of their Role
and Impact
As the number of women in Congress has increased in recent decades, and following the large
increase in women following the 1992 elections in particular, numerous studies of Congress have
examined the role and impact of these women.
Central to these studies have been questions about the following:
 The legislative behavior of women in Congress, including whether the legislative
behavior of female Members differs from their male counterparts. For example,
what has the increase in women in Congress meant for descriptive representation
(i.e., when representatives and those represented share demographic
characteristics, such as representation of women by women) and substantive
representation (i.e., representation of policy preferences and a linkage to policy
outcomes)?23 This also includes examinations of whether women Members
sponsor more “women’s issues bil s”24 or speak more frequently on the House
floor about women.25 These examinations also include questions regarding
whether there are any differences in roll cal voting behavior between men and
women Members of Congress, with a focus on successive Members in the same
district, in the same party, or in the chamber overal .26

23 T he idea of “representation,” including its forms and variations, has long been debated among political scientists and
political theorists. For a discussion, see Hanna F. Pitkin, The Concept of Representation (Berkeley, CA: University of
California Press, 1967).
24 Studies characterize “women’s issues” differently, and there is no universally accepted definition. See Beth
Reingold, “Women as Office Holders: Descriptive and Substantive Representation,” paper presented at the Political
Women and American Democracy Conference, University of Notre Dame, May 25 -27, 2006, p. 6; Victoria A. Rickard,
“T he Effects of Gender on Winnowing in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Politics & Gender, vol. 12 (2016), 814-
816.
25 See, for example, Mary Hawkesworth, Kathleen Casey, Krista Jenkins, and Katherine Kleeman, Legislating By and
For Wom en: A Com parison of the 103rd and 104th Congresses, Center for American Women and Politics, 2001,
available at http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/research/topics/documents/CongReport103-104.pdf; Kathryn Pearson and
Logan Dancey, “Elevating Women’s Voices in Congress: Speech Participation in the House of Representatives,”
Political Research Quarterly, vol. 64 (December 2011), pp. 910 -923; Kathryn Pearson and Logan Dancey, “ Speaking
for the Underrepresented in the House of Representatives: Voicing Women’s Interests in a Partisan Era,” Politics &
Gender, vol. 7 (December 2011), pp. 493 -519; Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, Susan J. Carroll, Debbie Walsh, and
Catherine Wineinger, “Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress,” New Brunswick, NJ: Center for
American Women in Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, T he State University of New Jersey (2017).
26 See, for example, Michele L. Swers, The Difference Women Make: The Policy Impact of Women in Congress
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002); Katherine Cramer Walsh, “Enlarging Representation: Women Bring
Marginalized Perspectives to Floor Debate in the House of Representatives,” in Women Transforming Congress, ed.
Cindy Simon Rosenthal (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002), pp. 370 -396. Jessica C. Gerrity, T racy
Osborn, and Jeannette Morehouse Mendez, “Women and Representation: A Different View of the District?” Politics &
Gender, vol. 3 (June 2007), pp. 179-200. Jennifer Sacco, 2012, “ Descriptive Representation of Men and Women in the
110th and 111th Congresses,” paper presented at the Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting.
http://wpsa.research.pdx.edu/meet/2012/sacco.pdf. Jocelyn Jones Evans, Wom en, Partisanship and the Congress (New
York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005). Michele L. Swers, “Are Women More Likely to Vote For Women’s Issue Bills than
T heir Male Colleagues?” Legislative Studies Quarterly, vol. 23 (1995), pp. 435-448. Brian Frederick, “Are Female
House Members Still More Liberal in a Polarized Era? T he Conditional Nature of the Relationship Between
Descriptive and Substantive Representation,” Congress & the Presidency, vol. 36 (2009), pp. 181-202. Dennis Simon,
“T he Roll Call Behavior of Men and Women in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1937 -2008,” Politics & Gender,
vol. 6 (June 2010), pp. 225-246. Brian Frederick, “ Gender and Roll Call Voting Behavior in Congress: A Cross-
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 The “effectiveness” of female legislators, particularly in comparison to male
legislators. These studies have examined bil sponsorship and cosponsorship;
women’s success in shepherding sponsored bil s or amendments into law;
committee work; success in securing federal funds; consensus building activities
and efforts to form coalitions; effectiveness while in the majority and minority;
and their impact on the institution overal .27
 The path that leads women to run for office, comparative success rates of female
compared with male candidates, and career trajectory once in Congress.28 This
includes professional backgrounds and experience, barriers to entry, and
fundraising;29 the so-cal ed widow effect, in which many women first secured
entry to Congress following the death of a spouse;30 and reelection efforts and
influences on decisions regarding voluntary retirement or pursuing other office.31

Chamber Analysis,” The American Review of Politics, vol. 34 (Spring 2013), pp. 1-20.
27 See, for example, Cindy Simon Rosenthal, “A View of T heir Own: Women’s Committee Leadership Styl es and State
Legislatures,” Policy Studies Journal, vol. 25 (1997), pp. 585-600; Noelle Norton, “Transforming Policy from the
Inside: Participation in Committee,” in Women Transforming Congress, ed. Cindy Simon Rosenthal (Norman, OK:
University of Oklahoma Press, 2002), pp. 316-340; Michele L. Swers, The Difference Wom en Make (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2002); Laura W. Arnold and Barbara M. King, “Women, Committees, and Institutional
Change in the Senate,” in Women Transforming Congress, ed. Cindy Simon Rosenthal (Norman, OK: University of
Oklahoma Press, 2002), pp. 284-315; Alana Jeydel and Andrew J. T aylor, “ Are Women Legislators Less Effective?
Evidence from the U.S. House in the 103 rd-105th Congress,” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 56 (March 2003), pp.
19-27; Debra Dodson, The Im pact of Wom en in Congress (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006); Sarah Anzia
and Christopher Berry, “T he Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect: Why Do Congresswomen Outperform Congressmen?”
Am erican Journal of Political Science, vol. 55 (July 2011), pp. 478-493; Craig Volden, Alan Wiseman, and Dana
Wittmer, “When Are Women More Effective Lawmakers T han Men?” American Journal of Political Science, April,
2013, pp. 326-341, available at http://batten.virginia.edu/research/when-are-women-more-effective-lawmakers-men
and Stella M. Rouse, Michele L. Swers, and Michael D. Parrott, “Gender, Race, an d Coalition Building: Agenda
Setting as a Mechanism for Collaboration Among Minority Groups in Congress,” paper delivered for presentation at
the American Political Science Association Meeting, August 28 -September 1, 2013; T ali Mendelberg, Christopher F.
Karpowitz and Nicholas Goedert , “ Does Descriptive Representation Facilitate Women’s Distinctive Voice? How
Gender Composition and Decision Rules Affect Deliberation ,” Am erican Journal of Political Science, vol. 58, no. 2
(April 2014), pp. 291-306; Victoria A. Rickard, “ T he Effects of Gender on Winnowing in the U.S. House of
Representatives,” Politics & Gender, vol. 12 (2016), pp. 807-834.
28 See, for example, Jennifer Lawless and Kathyrn Pearson, “The Primary Reason for Women’s Underrepresentation?
Reevaluating the Conventional Wisdom,” Journal of Politics, vol. 70 (2008), pp. 67-82; Richard L. Fox and Jennifer L.
Lawless, “ Gendered Perceptions and Political Candidacies: A Central Barrier to Women’s Equality in Electoral
Politics,” Am erican Journal of Political Science, vol. 55, no. 1 (January 2011), pp. 59-73; Kathryn Pearson and Eric
McGhee, “What It T akes to Win: Questioning ‘Gender Neutral’ Outcomes,” Politics & Gender, vol. 9 (2013), pp. 439-
462; Daniell M. T homsen, “Why So Few (Republican) Women? Explaining the Partisan Imbalance of Women in the
U.S. Congress,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 2 (May 2015), pp. 295-423.
29 See, for example, Ashley Baker, “Reexamining the gender implications of campaign finance reform: how higher
ceilings on individual donations disproportionately impact female candidates,” Modern Am erican, vol. 2 (2006), pp.
18-23; Michael H. Crespin and Janna L. Deitz, “ If You Can’t Join ‘Em, Beat ‘Em: T he Gender Gap in Individual
Donations to Congressional Candidates,” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 63, no. 3 (September 2010), pp. 581-593;
Karin E. Kitchens and Michele L. Swers, “Why Aren’t T here More Republican Women in Congress? Gender,
Partisanship, and Fundraising Support in the 2010 and 2012 Elections,” Politics & Gender, vol. 12 (2016), pp. 648-676.
30 See, for example, Diane D. Kincaid, “ Over His Dead Body: A Positive Perspective on Widows in the U.S.
Congress,” The Western Political Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 1 (Mar., 1978), pp. 96-104; Lisa Solowiej and T homas L.
Brunell, “ T he Entrance of Women to the U.S. Congress: T he Widow Effect,” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 56, no.
3 (September 2003), pp. 283-292; and Danielle Lupton, Sahar Parsa, and Steven Sprick Schuster, “ Widows,
Congressional Representation, and the (Ms.)Appropriation of a Name,” unpublished m anuscript, November 5, 2017.
31 See, for example, Jennifer L. Lawless and Sean M. T heriault, “Will She Stay or Will She Go? Career Ceilings and
Women’s Retirement from the U.S. Congress,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, vol. 30 (November 2005), pp. 581-596;
Jeffrey Lazarus and Amy Steigerwalt, Gendered Vulnerability: How Wom en Work Harder to Stay in Office (Ann
Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2018).
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Appendix. Total Number of Women Who Served in
Each Congress
Table A-1. Congressional Service by Women: By Type and Congress, 1917-2019
(Including any Representatives [Reps.], Delegates [Del.], and Resident Commissioners [RC]
who served only a portion of the Congress)
House
Nonvoting
Subtotal
Total
Total
Members
(Reps and
without
with
(Del. and
Nonvoting
Nonvoting
Nonvoting
Congress
Reps.
RC)
Members)
Sens.
Members
Members
65th (1917-1918)
1
0
1
0
1
1
66th (1919-1920)
0
0
0
0
0
0
67th (1921-1922)a
3
0
3
1
4
4
68th (1923-1924)
1
0
1
0
1
1
69th (1925-1926)b
3
0
3
0
3
3
70th (1927-1928)c
5
0
5
0
5
5
71st (1929-1930)
9
0
9
0
9
9
72nd (1931-1932)d
7
0
7
1
8
8
73rd (1933-1934)
7
0
7
1
8
8
74th (1935-1936)
6
0
6
2
8
8
75th (1937-1938)e
6
0
6
3
9
9
76th (1939-1940)f
8
0
8
1
9
9
77th (1941-1942)b
9
0
9
1
10
10
78th (1943-1944)c
8
0
8
1
9
9
79th (1945-1946)b
11
0
11
0
11
11
80th (1947-1948)g
7
0
7
1
8
8
81st (1949-1950)c
9
0
9
1
10
10
82nd (1951-1952)b
10
0
10
1
11
11
83rd (1953-1954)h
11
1
12
3
14
15
84th (1955-1956)c
16
1
17
1
17
18
85th (1957-1958)
15
0
15
1
16
16
86th (1959-1960)i
17
0
17
2
19
19
87th (1961-1962)j
18
0
18
2
20
20
88th (1963-1964)c
12
0
12
2
14
14
89th (1965-1966)
11
0
11
2
13
13
90th (1967-1968)
11
0
11
1
12
12
91st (1969-1970)
10
0
10
1
11
11
92nd (1971-1972)k
13
0
13
2
15
15
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House
Nonvoting
Subtotal
Total
Total
Members
(Reps and
without
with
(Del. and
Nonvoting
Nonvoting
Nonvoting
Congress
Reps.
RC)
Members)
Sens.
Members
Members
93rd (1973-1974)b
16
0
16
0
16
16
94th (1975-1976)
19
0
19
0
19
19
95th (1977-1978)l
18
0
18
3
21
21
96th (1979-1980)m
16
0
16
2
18
18
97th (1981-1982)n
21
0
21
2
23
23
98th (1983-1984)c
22
0
22
2
24
24
99th (1985-1986)c
23
0
23
2
25
25
100th (1987-1988)o
24
0
24
2
26
26
101st (1989-1990)p
29
0
29
2
31
31
102nd (1991-1992)q
29
1
30
4
33
34
103rd (1993-1994)r
47
1
48
7
54
55
104th (1995-1996)k
49
1
50
9
58
59
105th (1997-1998)s
55
2
57
9
64
66
106th (1999-2000)
56
2
58
9
65
67
107th (2001-2002)t
60
2
62
14
74
76
108th (2003-2004)c
60
3
63
14
74
77
109th (2005-2006)u
68
3
71
14
82
85
110th (2007-2008)v
76
3
79
16
92
95
111th (2009-2010)w
76
3
79
17
93
96
112th (2011-2012)x
76
3
79
17
93
96
113th (2013-2014)y
81
3
84
20
101
104
114th (2015-2016)z
85
4
89
20
105
109
115th (2017-2018)aa
88
5
93
23
111
116
116th (2019-2020)bb
102
4
106
26
127
131
Source: CRS summary, based on http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-
Congress/.
Notes: The column headings include the fol owing abbreviations: Representatives (Reps.), Delegates (Del.),
Resident Commissioners (RC), and Senators (Sens.).
Three columns include numbers for the House: (1) the number of women Representatives, (2) the number of
women nonvoting Members (including Delegates and Resident Commissioners), and (3) the total number of
women in the House.
Totals are also provided for (1) the number of women in the House and Senate not including nonvoting
Members and (2) the number of women in the House and Senate including nonvoting Members.
For simplification, Congresses are listed in two-year increments. Pursuant to the 20th Amendment to the
Constitution, which was ratified January 23, 1933, “the terms of Senators and Representatives [shal end] at noon
on the 3rd day of Jan.” For specific dates, see “Dates of Sessions of the Congress, present-1789,” at
http://www.senate.gov/reference/Sessions/sessionDates.htm.
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a. Includes two House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy and one Senator who was appointed to fil
a vacancy.
b. Includes two House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
c. Includes one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy.
d. Includes one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy and one Senator who was appointed to fil a
vacancy.
e. Includes one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy but not sworn in, one Senator who was
elected to fil a vacancy but not sworn in, and one Senator who was appointed to fil a vacancy.
f.
Includes four House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
g. Includes one Senator who was appointed to fil a vacancy.
h. Includes one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy, one Senator who was appointed to fil a
vacancy, and one Senator who was elected to fil that vacancy.
i.
Includes one House Member who died and one House Member elected to fil a vacancy.
j.
Includes three House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
k. Includes one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy and one Senator appointed to fill a vacancy.
l.
Includes two Senators who were appointed to fil a vacancy.
m. Includes one House Member-elect whose seat was declared vacant due to an incapacitating il ness, and one
House member who was elected to fil a vacancy.
n. Includes three House Members who were elected to a vacancy.
o. Includes one House Member who died.
p. Includes four House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
q. Includes one House Member and one Senator elected to fil a vacancy and one Senator who was appointed
to fil a vacancy.
r. Includes one Senator who was elected to fil a vacancy.
s. Includes one House Member who resigned and four House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
t.
Includes one House Member who died and one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy and two
appointed Senators.
u. Includes three House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
v. Includes four House Members who died and five House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
w. Includes two House Members who resigned, one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy, one
Senator who resigned, and one Senator initial y elected to the House and then appointed to the Senate.
x. Includes two House Members who resigned and four House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
y. Includes one House Member who resigned and three House Members who were elected to fil a vacancy.
z. Includes two House Members who resigned and one House Member who was elected to fil a vacancy.
aa. Includes five House Members elected to fil a vacancy, one House Member who died, one House Member
who resigned, and two Senators appointed to fil a vacancy.
bb. Includes one House Member who resigned and one Senator appointed to fil a vacancy.
Table A-2. Number of Women Sworn in on the First Day of Congress
(Total [T], House of Representatives [H], and Senate [S]; since the 102nd Congress)

102
103
104
105
106
107 108
109
110
111 112
113
114 115
116
T
31
54
56
62
67
74
76
82
90
95
92
101
108 109
131
H
29
48
48
53
58
61
62
68
74
78
75
81
88
88
106
S
2
6
8
9
9
13
14
14
16
17
17
20
20
21
25
Source: CRS calculations based on descriptions in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
(http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp).
Note: Includes Senators, Representatives, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner.
Congressional Research Service

19

Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview

Author Information

Jennifer E. Manning
Ida A. Brudnick
Senior Research Librarian
Specialist on the Congress

Acknowledgments
Linda Carter, Elli Ludwigson, and Cara Warner provided assistance. Colleen J. Shogan, formerly deputy
director and senior specialist, and Susan Navarro Smelcer, formerly an analyst on the Federal Judiciary,
were former coauthors of this report.

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and
under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should n ot be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in
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Congressional Research Service
R43244 · VERSION 30 · UPDATED
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