Here are some resources to learn more about statistics and perspectives related to the underrepresentation of Black women and women of color in elected office. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a few sources that are interesting and helpful.
Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP)
The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University has the most comprehensive collection of information about women elected officials in the United States. Here are some helpful links:
- Women Elected Officials by Race/Ethnicity (through CAWP’s Women Elected Officials Database you can search historical and current listings for women who have held office at the Congressional, Statewide elected executive, and state legislative levels nationwide, including based on race/ethnicity).
- Facts on Women of Color In Office (current numbers and percentages of women of color in the U.S. Congress, statewide elective executive offices, state legislatures, and mayors).
- History of Women of Color in U.S. Politics (a list of women of color who have previously held office in the U.S. Congress, statewide elective executive offices, state legislatures, and mayors).
- Reaching Higher: Black Women in American Politics 2021 (a report by the Higher Heights Leadership Fund and the Center for American Women and Politics)
Higher Heights for America PAC
Higher Heights for America PAC, the only political action committee exclusively dedicated to electing more progressive Black women at the federal, state, and local levels, provides information about Black Women in American Politics By The Numbers.
RepresentWomen compiles information about the current status of women’s representation in elected office, with a section called Demographic Divide that includes Representation of Women by Race.
REPORTS
Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview
(Congressional Research Service, updated June 29, 2021) – includes extensive statistical information on women in Congress, including data specifically based on race/ethnicity.
No Democracy Without Black Women (SIX and N.O.B.E.L. Women)
provides a summary of statistics and other information related to Black women in state legislatures, with a database to conduct specific searches.
ARTICLES
Women of Color Were Shut Out of Congress For Decades. Now They’re
(FiveThirtyEight, January 18, 2021)
The State of Women’s Leadership — and How to Continue Changing the Face of U.S. Politics
(Center for American Progress, January 15, 2021)
ABOUT
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