Download Contact Information: Representation2020: Cynthia

Contact Information: Representation2020: Cynthia Richie Terrell, 301-270-4616,
[email protected]
Gender Parity Index Report 2017: http://tiny.cc/2017GPI-Report
GPI Report - Washington D.C. Information Page:http://tiny.cc/2017GPI-TER
Making Progress: Gender Parity in Elected Office in the District of Columbia
Representation2020 has released its latest analysis on the underrepresentation of women in elected office,
quantified through the Gender Parity Index (GPI). The GPI rates women's recent electoral success at the
local, state, and national levels, and the 2017 report finds that women are underrepresented at all levels of
government.
As of June 2017, the median Gender Parity Score is 18.6 out of 100, barely up from the 2015 score of
18.1. The GPI ranks New Hampshire first and Mississippi last in women’s political representation. Out of
all 50 states, 33 have a Gender Parity Score below 25, giving them a grade of D or F.
The GPI indicates regional gender parity trends across the nation. Six of the ten states with the lowest
Gender Parity Scores are located in the South (Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Tennessee). In contrast, the Northeast and West lead the country in women’s representation, containing
nine of the ten highest ranked states (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New
Mexico, Oregon, and Washington).
Because Washington, D.C. is a district and not a state, it did not receive a formal score, but the GPI still
tracks its progress towards gender parity. The District has actively encouraged women’s representation in
politics, especially recently, but still has a long road ahead.
Muriel Bowser (D) was elected mayor of Washington, D.C. in 2015. Since her election, she has been
outspoken on women’s issues, particularly political underrepresentation. At the 2017 Women’s March on
Washington, Bowser proudly asserted her role as “chick mayor” who would speak on behalf of all elected
women, who she states are “more wrongly criticized at every single level.” Also in 2017, Bowser
awarded six women leaders of Washington, D.C. at the Washington Women of Excellence Awards, an
event held by the Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives.
Sharon Pratt (D) served as D.C.’s only other female mayor from 1991 - 1995; she became the first
African American woman to hold this office in a major American city. Before she became mayor, Pratt
represented the District as Committeewoman at the Democratic National Committee from 1977 - 1980.
She was the first woman ever to be elected to this position.
Currently, just four of the District’s 13 city council members are women. While the District of Columbia
does not send a voting delegation to Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton has served as the city’s single
non-voting representative since 1991. Granting D.C. full voting rights and electing council members with
ranked choice voting in multi-winner districts will help the district improve its representation of women.
“Changing rules and systems to create equality is part of the American tradition,” notes Cynthia Richie
Terrell, Representation2020 founder and director. “To win gender parity in our lifetimes we must pivot to
system reforms that include gender targets for PACs and political parties so more women run, fair
representation voting systems so more women win, and updated legislative practices so more women can
serve and lead.”
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