What percent of U.S. Congress members are females?
Data Scavenger Hunt
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above:
Approximately how many people total are in the current Congress,
The First Congress was in 1789. The 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women across the nation, was ratified in 1920 (the 67th Congress). We are currently in the 118th Congress. Approximately which Congress was the first to have a female member.
Approximately what portion of the current Congress is female?
Describe one long term trend that you see in the data.
Based on current trends, predict the year that the number of women and men in Congress will be roughly equal.
Big Brain Questions
Answer these questions by yourself using your brain and the links below:
List one thing the chart makes you wonder:
In 1992, female Senators got their first private restroom in the U.S. Senate, ending the time when, as one reported noted, female senators had to “miss an important vote because she was downstairs in line with the girls from a 4-H club.” Based on the trend that you identified from the data from the visual above, why do you think it took so long for female Senators to get a restroom in the Senate?
As of January 2023, Women made up more than a quarter (28%) of all members of the 118th Congress – the highest percentage in U.S. history and a considerable increase from where things stood even a decade ago. Counting both the House of Representatives and the Senate, women account for 153 of 540 voting and nonvoting members of Congress. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2021, females made up 50.5% of the American population, and 52% of all voters, almost double their share of Congress . Why do you think there are so few women relative to their population in the current Congress?
What is one consequence of this trend?
Describe one policy (a law or government action) that would likely result if suddenly the percent of male and female congress members flipped.
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
The Center for American Women and Politics lists all the women currently serving in the 118th U.S. Congress. Contact one of those women and ask them to share how their gender impacts their job. Share your research in class or on line.
Get Creative
Breaking news: 2050 - America votes for a congress that is half female. Imagine then list three pieces of legislation that would pass in a 50/50 female/male congress.
Learn More
Read this recent Pew Research Center story on women of color in Congress. And check out this interesting article: When Women Run They Tend To Win.