Women in Congress:
Statistics and Brief Overview
Updated June 29, 2021
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R43244

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Summary
As of June 24, 2021, 147 women are serving in the 117th Congress. There are 123 women serving
in the House (including 3 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner), 90 Democrats and 33
Republicans. There are 24 women in the Senate, 16 Democrats and 8 Republicans.
Initial y, at the beginning of the 117th Congress, there were 148 women, and since then two House
Members resigned; three House Members took their respective oaths of office in February, April,
and June 2021; one Senator resigned; and one Senator’s appointed term expired.
These 148 women who were initial y sworn in surpassed the previous number of 130 women
serving at the close of the 116th Congress. During the 116th Congress, the number of women
serving fluctuated: there were a record 131 women initial y sworn in; one woman in the House
subsequently resigned; two women were appointed to the Senate, and one of those Senate
appointments expired before the end of the Congress.
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 395 women have ever been elected or appointed to Congress, including 257 Democrats
and 138 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,
 337 (221 Democrats, 116 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;
 17 (11 Democrats, 6 Republicans) women have served in both houses;
 50 African American women have served in Congress (2 in the Senate, 48 in the
House), including 26 serving in the 117th Congress;
 16 Asian Pacific American women have served in Congress (13 in the House, 1
in the Senate, and 2 in both the House and Senate), including 11 in the 117th
Congress;
 23 Hispanic women have served in Congress (including 1 in the Senate),
including 16 in the 117th Congress; and
 3 American Indian women, 2 of whom currently serve in the House, have served
in Congress.
In the 117th Congress, 11 women serve as committee chairs. This includes 7 women in the House
(6 standing committees and 1 select committee) and 4 in the Senate (al standing committees).
Two of these women, one in each chamber, also chair a joint committee.
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; and a brief overview of research
questions related to the role and impact of women in Congress. The Appendix provides details on
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Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview

the total number of women who have served in each Congress, including information on changes
within a Congress. Due to this turnover, the text, tables, and notes throughout the report provide
details on time periods used for the tal ies and the currency of the information.
For additional biographical information—including the committee assignments, dates of service,
listings by Congress and state, and (for Representatives) congressional districts of the 395 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
Since 1917, when the first woman was elected to Congress, a total of 395 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 June 24, 2021)
House
Service
Women
House
Only
House
Who
Senate
Service
(Delegates and
Service
Served in
Total
Service
Only
Resident
Only
Both

Women
Only
(Representatives)
Commissioner)
(Subtotal)
Chambers
Total
395a
41
330
7a
337a
17
Democrats
257
25
217
4
221
11
Republicans
138
16
113
3
116
6
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 117th Congress began with 148 women.2 Table 2 shows that women currently account for
 26.7% of voting Members in the House and Senate (143 of 535);
 27.2% of total Members in the House and Senate (147 of 541, including the
Delegates and Resident Commissioner);
 27.4% of voting Representatives in the House (119 of 435);
 27.9% of total Members in the House (123 of 441, including the Delegates and
Resident Commissioner); and
 24.0% 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 woman was sworn into the House in February 2021, another in April 2021, and another in June 2021. T he term
of one appointed female Senator expired in January 2021, and another female Senator resigned in January 2021 to
become Vice President of the United States. T wo female House Members resigned in March 2021 to become Cabinet
Secretaries.

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Table 2. Number of Women Members of the 117th Congress
as of June 24, 2021
Nonvoting
Members
House Subtotal
(Delegates and
(Representatives
Total
Resident
and Nonvoting

Women
Senators
Representatives
Commissioner)
Members)
Total
147
24
119
4
123
Democrats
106
16
88
2
90
Republicans
41
8
31
2
33
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 117th Congress began with 148 women in the House and Senate. One woman was sworn into the
House in February 2021, another in April 2021, and another in June 2021. Two House Members resigned in
March 2021 to become Cabinet Secretaries.
The term of one appointed female Senator expired in January 2021, and another female Senator resigned in
January 2021 to become Vice President of the United States.
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 At the close of the 102nd Congress
(1991-1992), the number of women serving was 34, and, as a result of the 1992 election, 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 Most

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
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Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview

recently, the 116th Congress concluded with 130 women, and on the first day of the 117th
Congress the number of women in Congress increased 13.8% to 148 women.6
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: 1917-2021
(Including turnover, except data for the 117th Congress are for the beginning of the Congress)

Source: Figure compiled by CRS, based on http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-
Congress/.
Notes: Including any Representatives, Delegates, and Resident Commissioners who served only a portion of the
Congress. For details on turnover, see notes accompanying Table A-1.
Figure 2 shows division of men and women in Congress historical y and in the 117th Congress.

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.
6 T he 116th Congress final-day total includes one woman who was not present at the start of the Congress (a Senator
appointed to fill a vacancy). It excludes one House Member who resigned in November 2019, and one Senator whose
appointed term ended in December 2020.
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Figure 2. Women as a Percentage of Total Members Since 1789 and
in the 117th Congress
As of the beginning of the 117th Congress

Source: House of Representatives, Total Members of the House and State Representation, update as of January 21,
2021, http://history.house.gov/Institution/Total-Members/Total-Members/. This states “Since the U.S. Congress
convened on March 4, 1789, 12,415 individuals have served as Representatives, Senators, or in both capacities.
There have been 10,421 Members who served only as Representatives, 1,314 Members who served only in the
Senate, and 680 Members with service in both chambers. The total number of Representatives (including
individuals serving in both bodies) is 11,101.” 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 stated above, the data are as of January 3, 2021.
As seen in Figure 3, 49 states (al except Vermont),7 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 1917.8
Four states (Alaska, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Vermont) have never elected a woman to the
House.
Seventeen states have never been represented by a female Senator. Fourteen states have been
represented by one female Senator, 13 have sent two, and 6 states have sent three.

7 Vermont, however, ranks among the top 10 states for percentage of women in state government. For additional
information, see this report’s “State-House Perspective” section and https://cawp.rutgers.edu/women-state-legislature-
2021.
8 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 June 24, 2021; 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 17 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.9 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.10

9 “[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.
10 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/
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The 58 women who have served in the Senate entered initial y through three different routes:
 35 entered through regularly scheduled elections,
 18 were appointed to unexpired terms, and
 5 were elected by special election.11
As Figure 4 shows, approximately 70% (40) 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, 202 Senators have been appointed.12
Of these appointees, 91.1% (184) have been men, and 8.9% (18) were women.13
Figure 4. Women’s Initial Entrance to the Senate: Regular Elections, Special
Elections, and Appointments to Unexpired Terms
(Inclusive through January 6, 2021)

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

briefing/Direct_Election_Senators.htm.
11 T his includes one woman who was elected but never sworn in.
12 “Appointed Senators” list available at http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/
senators_appointed.htm.
13 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 (26.7%) is slightly
higher than averages of female representation in other countries. According to the Inter-
Parliamentary Union (IPU), as of January 1, 2021, women represented 25.6% of national
legislative seats (both houses) across the entire world. In the IPU database of worldwide female
representation, the United States ties for 67th worldwide for women in the lower chamber. The
Nordic countries (Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Denmark, and Norway) lead the world regional y
with 44.5% female representation in national legislatures.14
State-House Perspective
The percentage of women in Congress is lower than the percentage of women holding seats in
state legislatures. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, in 2021, “2,285, or
30.9% of the 7,383 state legislators in the United States are women. Women currently hold 561,
or 28.4%, of the 1,972 state senate seats and 1,724, or 31.9%, of the 5,411 state house or
assembly seats.”15 Across the 50 states, the total seats held by women range from 11.9% in West
Virginia to 60.3% in Nevada.16
Since the beginning of the 92nd Congress (1971-1972), the first Congress for which comparative
state legislature data are available,17 the total percentage of women in state legislatures has
eclipsed the percentage of women in Congress. 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.
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

14 Inter-Parliamentary Union, Global and Regional Averages of Women in National Parliaments, as of 1st December
2020, at https://data.ipu.org/women-averages. See also the archive of historical data at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/
world-arc.htm. T hese data will be updated once per Congress. For statistics on women serving in the national
legislatures of 192 countries, see the IPU chart at https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking; see also, Frank C. T hames and
Margaret S. Williams, Contagious Representation: Wom en’s Political Rep resentation in Dem ocracies around the
World (New York University Press: New York, 2013).
15 Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University, Women in State
Legislatures 2021, at https://cawp.rutgers.edu/women-state-legislature-2021.
16 Ibid.
17 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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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).
 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. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) served as
Speaker of the House in the 110th and 111th Congresses (2007-2010), and again in
the 116th and 117th Congresses.
 First woman to serve as President of the Senate. As Vice President of the
United States (2021-present), Kamala Harris (D-CA) also serves as President of
the Senate.
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 Representative 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 Edith Nourse Rogers (R-MA). 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 Barbara 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
Seventeen 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,
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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-six African American women serve in the 117thth Congress, including 2 Delegates, a
record number. The 117th Congress began with 28 African American women, but one Senator
resigned in January 2021 to become Vice President of the United States and one Representative
resigned to become a Cabinet Secretary.
A total of 50 African American women have served in Congress.18 The first was Representative
Shirley Chisholm (D-NY, 1969-1983). Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL, 1993-1999) was the
first African American woman to have served in the Senate. The African American women
Members of the 117th Congress are listed in Table 3.
Table 3. African American Women in the 117th Congress
(Al are House Members)
Alma Adams (D-NC)
Robin Kel y (D-IL)
Lauren Underwood (D-IL)
Karen Bass (D-CA)
Brenda Lawrence (D-MI)
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Joyce Beatty (D-OH)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
Lucy McBath (D-GA)
(D-NJ)
Cori Bush (D-MO)
Gwen Moore (D-WI)
Nikema Wil iams (D-GA)
Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
Val Demings (D-FL)
Ayana Pressley (D-MA)
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Jahana Hayes (D-CT)
(D-DC) [Delegate]
Terri Sewel (D-AL)
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Stacey Plaskett (D-VI)
Marilyn Strickland (D-WA)
[Delegate]
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-

TX)

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: Rep. Marilyn Strickland is also Asian Pacific American, and she is counted in both categories. The 117th
Congress began with one African American woman Senator, Kamala Harris; she resigned in January 2021 to
become Vice President of the United States. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) resigned to become a Cabinet
Secretary.
Asian Pacific American Women in Congress
Eleven Asian Pacific American women, a record number, serve in the 117h Congress.19 Patsy
Mink (D-HI), who served in the House from 1965 to 1977 and again from 1990 to 2002, was the

18 T his number includes one former Senator, Kamala Harris, and one House Member, Marilyn Strickland, who are both
of African American and Asian ancestry. In this report, these two Members are 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/.
19 T his number includes one former Senator, Kamala Harris, and one House Member, Marilyn Strickland, who are both
of African American and Asian ancestry. In this report, these two Members are counted as belonging to two ethnic
groups.
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first of 16 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 117th Congress
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Judy Chu (D-CA)
Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
Michel e Steel (R-CA)
Young Kim (R-CA)
Marilyn Strickland (D-WA)

Doris O. Matsui (D-CA)
Aumua Amata Coleman
Grace Meng (D-NY)
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: Rep. Marilyn Strickland is also African American, and she is counted in both categories. The 117th
Congress began with one more Asian American woman Senator, Kamala Harris; she resigned in January 2021 to
become Vice President of the United States.
Hispanic Women in Congress
Twenty-three Hispanic or Latino women have served in Congress, al but one in the House, and
16 of them, a record number, serve in the 117th Congress. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-
FL, 1989-2018) was the first Hispanic woman to serve in Congress, and Catherine Cortez Masto
(D-NV, 2017-present) is the first Hispanic woman Senator.20
Table 5. Hispanic Women in the 117th Congress
(Al are House Members except for Senator Cortez Masto)
Sen. Catherine Cortez
Nanette Diaz Barragán
Grace Flores Napolitano (D-
Maria Elvira Salazar (R-
Masto (D-NV)
(D-CA)
CA)
FL)
Veronica Escobar (D-TX)
Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-
Linda Sánchez (D-CA)
Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)
NM)
Norma Torres (D-CA)
Jaime Herrera Beutler
Nicole Mal iotakis (R-NY)
Lori Trahan (D-MA)
(R-WA)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-
Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
NY)
Jenniffer González-
Lucil e Roybal-Al ard (D-CA)
Colon (R-PR) [Resident
Commissioner]
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. In the 117th Congress, they were joined by Representative Yvette Herrel (R-NM).
Representative Haaland resigned in March 2021 to become Secretary of the Interior.

20 For additional information, see U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, Hispanic Americans in Congress, at
http://history.house.gov/Exhibit ions-and-Publications/HAIC/Hispanic-Americans-in-Congress/.
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Women Who Have Served in Party Leadership
Positions21
A number of women in Congress, listed in Table 6, have held positions in their party’s
leadership.22 Current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is second in the line of
succession for the presidency. She also served as Speaker in the 110th, 111th, and 116th
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
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-117th (2007-

2010, 2019-present)
Assistant Speaker
Katherine Clark (D-MA)
117th (2021-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
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
117th (2021-present)
Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
117th (2021-present)
Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)
114th-115th (2015-2018)
Terri Sewel (D-AL)
113th-117th (2013-present)
Diana DeGette (D-CO)
112th-115th (2011-2018)
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
112th-117th (2011-present)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-
112th-117th (2011-present)
FL)

Maxine Waters (D-CA)
106th-110th (1999-2008)
House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair
Katherine Clark (D-MA)
116th (2019-2020)
Linda Sánchez (D-CA)
115th (2017-2018)
Barbara Kennel y (D-CT)
104th-105th (1995-1998)
Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH)
100th (1987-1988)

21 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 .
22 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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Position
Member
Congresses
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
Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
117th (May 2021-present)
Liz Cheney (R-WY)
116th-117th (2019-May 2021)
Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA)
113th-115th (2013-2018)
Deborah Pryce (R-OH)
108th-109th (2003-2006)

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 -117th (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 -117th (2019-present)

Senate Democratic Conference Vice
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
115th-117th (2017-present)
Chair
Senate Democratic Conference
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
115th-117th (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.
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a. The title of this position changed from “Secretary” to “Vice Chair” with the 100 th 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,
 26 women have chaired a House committee (including select committees);
 15 women have chaired a Senate committee (including select and special
committees);
 2 female Senators have chaired joint committees (one joint select committee, and
two joint committees related to service as chair of the Senate Rules and
Administration Committee); and
 4 female Representatives have chaired a joint committee (including one joint
select committee, and two related to service as chair of the Committee on House
Administration).23
In the 117th Congress, women chair six standing committees in the House, four standing
committees in the Senate, and one select committee in the House. In addition, two women chair
joint committees related to their service on standing committees.
Table 7. Committees Chaired by Women, 117th Congress
Committee
Chair
House Committee on Appropriations
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
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)

23 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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Committee
Chair
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Maria Cantwel (D-WA)
Transportation

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

Joint Committee on Printing
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Joint Committee on the Library
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 117th 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.
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)?24 This also includes examinations of whether women Members
sponsor more “women’s issues bil s,”25 or speak more frequently on the House
floor about women.26 These examinations also include questions regarding

24 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).
25 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), pp.
814-816.
26 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
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whether there are any differences in roll cal voting behavior between men and
women Members of Congress, with a comparison of successive Members in the
same district, Members in the same party, Members in similar districts, or in the
chamber overal , or a focus on certain policy areas (e.g., foreign or defense
policy).27
 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 .28

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 Ditt mar, 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); Lisa
A. Bryant and Julia Marin Hellwege, “Working Mothers Represent: How Children Affect the Legislative Agenda of
Women in Congress,” American Politics Research, vol. 47, no. 3 (2019), pp. 447-470; and Kelly Dittmar, Kira
Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, A Seat at the Table: Congresswom en’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence
Matters (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018).
27 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-
Chamber Analysis,” The Am erican Review of Politics, vol. 34 (Spring 2013), pp. 1-20; William Bendix and Gyung-Ho
Jeong, “Gender and Foreign Policy: Are Female Members of Congress More Dovish than their Male Colleagues,”
Political Research Quarterly, vol. 73, no. 1 (2020), pp. 126-140; and Mary Layton Atkinson and Jason Harold Windett,
“Gender Stereotypes and the Policy Priorities of Women in Congress,” Political Behavior, vol. 41 (2019), pp. 769-789.
28 See, for example, Cindy Simon Rosenthal, “A View of T heir Own: Women ’s Committee Leadership Styles 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;
Stella M. Rouse, Michele L. Swers, and Michael D. Parrott, “Gender, Race, and 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
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 The path that leads women to run for office, comparative success rates of female
compared with male candidates, and career trajectory once in Congress.29 This
includes professional backgrounds and experience, barriers to entry, and
fundraising;30 the so-cal ed widow effect, in which many women first secured
entry to Congress following the death of a spouse;31 and reelection efforts and
influences on decisions regarding voluntary retirement or pursuing other office.32

(April 2014), pp. 291-306; and 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.
29 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? Exp laining the Partisan Imbalance of Women in the
U.S. Congress,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 2 (May 2015), pp. 295-423; Kira Sanbonmatsu, “Women’s
Underrepresentation in the U.S. Congress,” Dædalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, vol.
149, no. 1 (2020), pp. 40-55; and Sarina Rhinehart and Michael H. Crespin, “ Women in Congress,” in New Directions
in Congressional Politics, ed. Jamie L. Carson and Michael S. Lynch, 2 nd ed. (New York: Routledge, T aylor and
Francis Group, 2020).
30 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.
31 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 manuscript, November 5, 2017.
32 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;
and 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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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
117th (2021-2022)cc
121
4
125
26
147
151
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 fil 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.
cc. Includes two House Members who resigned, two House Members elected to fil a vacancy, one Senator
who resigned, and one Senator whose appointed term expired.
Table A-2. Number of Women Sworn in on the First Day of Congress
Congress
House
Senate
Total Congress
102nd
29
2
31
103rd
48
6
54
104th
48
8
56
105th
53
9
62
106th
58
9
67
Congressional Research Service

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Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview

107th
61
13
74
108th
62
14
76
109th
68
14
82
110th
74
16
90
111th
78
17
95
112th
75
17
92
113th
81
20
101
114th
88
20
108
115th
88
21
109
116th
106
25
131
117th
122
26
148
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.

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
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Congressional Research Service
R43244 · VERSION 31 · UPDATED
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