Electing more women to government will strengthen our democracy by making it more representative, improving policy outcomes, encouraging a new style of leadership, and cultivating trust in our elected bodies.
To advance women's representation and leadership in the United States, we must adopt proven policy solutions that address the structural barriers women face as candidates & as elected officials. These institutional strategies are a natural complement to individual candidate training programs.
Download the Policy Solutions 2-pager
Gender balanced funding and recruitment targets so more women RUN
Establish or join a Women’s Caucus that oversees the following:
- Developing targets for the recruitment of women candidates.
- Evaluating the best practices to encourage more women to run.
- Preparing an annual report on the status of women's representation in: party leadership, elected offices, and appointed positions.
Support legislation that allows candidates to use campaign funds to pay for childcare expenses.
Ranked choice voting so more women WIN
Upgrade the voting system to use ranked choice voting (also known as instant run-off voting) for both single and multi-winner elections. Maine and Alaska are the only US states who have used RCV in statewide elections - Alaska's first use being in 2022. Maine is ranked second in RepresentWomen’s 2022 Gender Parity Index.
Policy language examples:
Example: FairVote's Model Statute
Legislative rules changes so more women can SERVE
Modernize the governmental workplace so that all legislators can serve effectively once elected with the following rules changes:
- On-site childcare
- Paid leave for legislators
- Telecommuting Proxy voting
- Family-friendly schedules
- Living wages for legislators
Policy language examples:
Example: Santa Fe Living Wage Ordinance
Example: Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance, San Francisco
Example of On-site Childcare in Practice
Gender balanced appointment targets so more women LEAD
Recruitment for top staff and leadership positions must engage diverse slates of candidates to ensure gender balanced representation.
Adopt rules for gender balanced appointments. Commit to diverse appointments to cabinets, commissions and vacancies, establishing or maintaining gender balance as the norm.
Policy language examples:
Example: 2009 Iowa Gender Balanced Boards and Commissions