Where has women's representation grown faster: the House or Senate?
Representation · sourced historical data
Women's representation in the House versus Senate, 1917–2025
The percentage of each congressional chamber represented by women over more than a century.
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Women represent 28.5% of the House and 27% of the Senate in the 119th Congress records.
How to read it
Divides CAWP's chamber-specific counts by total seats reported for the corresponding House and Senate.
Important limits
- CAWP historical counts generally reflect the conclusion of a Congress, while chamber party tables describe opening election results.
The data behind the view
Every plotted value.
| Year | House | Senate |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| 1923 | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.7% | 0.0% |
| 1927 | 1.1% | 0.0% |
| 1929 | 2.1% | 0.0% |
| 1931 | 1.6% | 1.0% |
| 1933 | 1.6% | 1.0% |
| 1935 | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| 1937 | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| 1939 | 1.8% | 1.1% |
| 1941 | 2.1% | 1.1% |
| 1943 | 1.8% | 1.0% |
| 1945 | 2.5% | 0.0% |
| 1947 | 1.6% | 1.0% |
| 1949 | 2.1% | 1.0% |
| 1951 | 2.3% | 1.0% |
| 1953 | 2.5% | 2.1% |
| 1955 | 3.7% | 1.0% |
| 1957 | 3.4% | 1.0% |
| 1959 | 3.9% | 2.0% |
| 1961 | 4.1% | 2.0% |
| 1963 | 2.8% | 2.0% |
| 1965 | 2.5% | 2.0% |
| 1967 | 2.5% | 1.0% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | 1.0% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| 1973 | 3.7% | 0.0% |
| 1975 | 4.4% | 0.0% |
| 1977 | 4.1% | 2.0% |
| 1979 | 3.7% | 1.0% |
| 1981 | 4.8% | 2.0% |
| 1983 | 5.1% | 2.0% |
| 1985 | 5.3% | 2.0% |
| 1987 | 5.3% | 2.0% |
| 1989 | 6.7% | 2.0% |
| 1991 | 6.4% | 4.0% |
| 1993 | 10.8% | 7.0% |
| 1995 | 11.0% | 9.0% |
| 1997 | 12.4% | 9.0% |
| 1999 | 12.9% | 9.0% |
| 2001 | 13.6% | 12.9% |
| 2003 | 13.8% | 14.0% |
| 2005 | 15.6% | 14.0% |
| 2007 | 16.6% | 16.2% |
| 2009 | 16.8% | 17.2% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | 17.2% |
| 2013 | 18.4% | 20.0% |
| 2015 | 19.5% | 20.0% |
| 2017 | 20.0% | 23.0% |
| 2019 | 23.2% | 25.0% |
| 2021 | 28.0% | 24.0% |
| 2023 | 29.2% | 24.0% |
| 2025 | 28.5% | 27.0% |