A recent study shows that the number of women in state leadership posts is increasing, but at a glacial pace. The Center for Women in Government reported that less than 30 percent of states’ top officials appointed by governors are women, and that the number of female appointees for the past year is only an incremental 0.4 percentage points higher than the previous year.
The study’s director, Center for Women in Government’s Executive Director Judith Saidel, said there will not be true representative democracy in the U.S. until women — who comprise 52 percent of the nation’s population — are equitably represented in government leadership positions.
The state with the highest representation of women is Vermont, where women are 50 percent of state appointees and 51 percent of the population. The state of Oklahoma is at the bottom of the list, with only 14 percent of the appointed government positions filled by women.
