Governme☂nt officials and especially those in the legislative branch ultimately decide which programs get funded and prioritized. The situation is mixed, however, when it comes to equitable gender representation in key government roles at both the federal and local levels.

The progress women have made in public service is undeniable, highlighted by Kamala Harris's historic inauguration as the first female vice president of the United States. Women still make up a minority in critical federal positions, however, and they hold a limited number of governorships and mayoral offices. There's undoubtedly been progress but women’s rights advocates argue that there’s still a long way to go.

The challenge is even more significant for individuals with nonbinary, gender-fluid, and other nontraditional gender identities. The Victory Institute reports that only 1,185 LGBTQ individuals have been elected to office nationwide. That represents a mere 0.23% of all U.S. elected officials. The 164.5% rise in LGBTQ elected officials since 2017 marks progress but also highlights the long path still ahead for achieving widespread representation.

Gender in Federal Government Roles

Kamala Harris is perhaps the new face of female political leadership thanks to becoming the first woman to be elected on a presidential ticket, not to mention a woman of color. The presence o🌃f women in the executive branch has been significant for over three decades, 💙however. 

• Up to six women held Cabinet-level positions at one time during President Donald Trump's first term.
• The count reached a peak of eight women during President Barack Obama's second term. 
• President Joe Biden set a record by nominating 13 women to his Cabinet out of a total of 25 positions, the most female leaders in U.S. history.  
• George W. Bush had four women serving concurrently during his first term and five during his second.
• Nine women served concurrently during Bill Clinton's second term.
• Fourteen of George H.W. Bush’s 17 Cabinet members were men and Ronald Reagan’s Cabinet had a similar composition in terms of gender.

Legislators

Women have also made major gains in Congress. The House of Representatives has 28.7% female members in 2025: 125 of the 435 total seats. The 118th Congress also includes 26 female senators.

Women politicians have made striking strides compared to their meager representation just a few decades ago. The 100 members of the Senate included only four women in the 1991–1993 Congress. There were just 28 women at the other end of the Capitol in the House. There are 151 women members of the Senate and the House in 2025.

There's also a significant representation of race and ethnic diversity in the U.S. government. The U.S. Senate and U.S. House were made up of women of the races or ethnicities in the table below as of March 2024. This data excludes U.S.🎃 Delegates as well as statewide el🦩ective executives.

Gender in Courts

The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett in 2020 to fill the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the U.S. Supreme Court left female representation on the country’s highest bench unchanged. Ketanji Brown Jackson was appointed to the Supreme Court following Stephen Breyer's retirement in 2021, however. Barrett, Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor, the court's female justices, made up four of the court’s nine members. 

That ratio is consistent with lower federal judgeships as well. Roughly a third of U.S. Court of Appeals judges, U.S. District Court judges, U.S. Magistrate judges, and U.S. Bankruptcy Court judges are women, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Three gender-nonconforming judges serve at the state level and none at the federal level, according to the Victory Institute.

Gender in State Leadership

🦋The number of women serving a🅠s the top executive of their state has increased but female representation is arguably lower at the state level than in the federal government. 

There were nine female governors in 2004 and 2007. There were 12 in 2024 but they represented less than one-fifth of all gubernatorial positions in the country. Only 49 women have ever served as governor of a state in the nation's history.

Female governors tend to lead smaller states. Only Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Kathy C. Hochul of New York, both Democrats, have headed the executive branch of a state that cracks the top 10 in population.

Gender representation is a bit more equitable in other key roles in state government but women still trail men by a wide margin. Women make up 2,428 of the 7,386 state legislators in 2024, representing 32.9% of total seats in the United States. The upward trajectory for female state representatives is undeniable, however, with their ranks growing more than fivefold since 1971.

Transgender individuals have yet to ascend to the top ranks of the federal government but they've achieved some success at the state level. Danica Roem became to be elected to a state legislature when shᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe won in Virginia’s 13th District in 2017.

Voters elected Mauree Turner, the first openly nonbinary person to Oklahoma State House. She’s ♏also the first Muslim legislator in Ok🎀lahoma.

Women As Mayors

Women are making important strides at the urban level as well although disparities persist. They lead major cities like Phoenix (Kate Gallego) and San Francisco (London Breed), marking a giant leap from a generation ago. 

Women numbered 433 as of May 2024, representing 26.8% of mayors of the 1,616 officials who perform mayoral functions of U.S. cities, towns, and minor civil divisions with populations over 30,000.

Supporting More Women in Leadership

Government agencies can and have started to implement several policies to support more women in leadership positions:

• Flexible work arrangements: Women have historically been disadvantaged with regard to balancing work and family responsibilities. Offering flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting or flexible hours enhances opportunities for those who need to balance obligations outside their political positions.
• Pay equity: Ensuring pay equity between state and lower government positions with private sector jobs enhances opportunity for those who don't have financial flexibility. A career in the public sector isn't possible for some due to lower-than-median income levels often paid for many government roles.
• Quotas: Setting quotas for women's representation in government can help ensure that women are represented at all levels. This includes ensuring that individual donors, political parties, and PACs set voluntary goals to increase the proportion of women on ballots. It also includes funds being apportioned for open-seat elections where women and other historically marginalized candidates often find greater election success.
• Childcare services: Providing affordable and accessible childcare services can help women balance work and family responsibilities. Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) proposed H.R. 1623 (Help America Run Act) in 2019 to allow campaign funds to be used for certain personal expenses such as childcare expenses.
• Encouraging political participation: Encouraging women's political participation and leadership can help create a more diverse and representative government. One of the primary means of ensuring this is to ensure that small-donor financing can take precedence over big money in elections. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) proposed H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021 that sets provisions for ethical campaign practices and campaign financing. This type of financing structure may lead to greater participation and equity in campaigning.

The Bottom Line

The growth of women leaders at all levels of government has been significant, reflecting a promising shift toward equality. Their overall representation remains low, however, when considering that they make up more than half the population. 

The visibility and inclusion of nonbinary and gender-fluid individuals in political positions lag significantly behind as well. Progress is clear but there's still a long way to go to fully include all genders in political leadership across the U.S.