Women hold 28.4% of US congressional seats despite being 51% of population

The short version

• Deutsche Welle reports women hold 28.4% of congressional seats despite making up about 51% of the population.[Deutsche Welle]
• Some 152 women sit in the House and Senate, and 14 of 50 governorships are held by women, both described as record highs.[Deutsche Welle]
• Expert Kelly Dittmar points to structural rules, costly campaigns, donor networks and a weaker Republican support infrastructure.[Deutsche Welle]
• Key unknowns include the outcomes of Peggy Flanagan's Minnesota Senate bid and Keisha Lance Bottoms's Georgia governor race.[Deutsche Welle]

Key facts

• Women make up about 51% of the US population but hold 28.4% of congressional seats.[Deutsche Welle]
• A total of 152 women sit in the House and Senate, which the report says is higher than ever before.[Deutsche Welle]
• Some 14 of the 50 US governors, or 28%, are women, also higher than ever before according to the report.[Deutsche Welle]
• Ten of the 14 female governors are Democrats and four are Republicans.[Deutsche Welle]
• The House includes 125 women, with 95 Democrats and 30 Republicans.[Deutsche Welle]
• The Senate includes 16 Democratic women and 11 Republican women.[Deutsche Welle]
• Kelly Dittmar says rules and processes make it harder for newcomers to break in, and women were historically newcomers.[Deutsche Welle]
• Peggy Flanagan would be the first Native American woman to sit in the US Senate if she wins in Minnesota.[Deutsche Welle]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Money, networks and bias: Why women struggle to win seats in US politicsDeutsche Welle