Although women account for 51% of the state’s population, only 29% of public offices in Ohio are held by women. In 2018, The Matriots PAC published the first-ever study to determine this figure, which represents the number of Ohio women in public office as of August 2017. The study also confirmed that, of the elected women officials, the majority serve in support roles (clerks, auditors, school board members) where they yield less influence. This inverse power slope is demonstrated by these facts:
The state has never elected a woman governor or U.S. Senator. Ohio has had 70 governors and 27 senators and has never elected a woman to either office. Perhaps more telling is the fact that, until 2022, no woman has ever run under a major party label for governor in a general election.
The highest percentage of women in all political offices throughout the state is at the school board level, with 37% representation, and the lowest is 17% at the federal level.
Only 22% of members of the Ohio General Assembly in 2017 were women; (that number has changed to 31% since The Matriots PAC started actively endorsing women candidates for office)
Relative to other states, Ohio fares worse when it comes to gender equity in politics. In its most recent (2020) Status of Women in the States report, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that Ohio ranks 28th of the 50 states, in terms of women’s political participation, and 33rd overall, based on six categories—employment & earnings, political participation, poverty & opportunity, reproductive rights, health & well-being, and work & family—all of which are directly impacted by public policies and legislation. Further, according to Rutgers University’s Center for American Women in Politics, Ohio ranks 40th, sandwiched between Arkansas (39th) and Oklahoma (41st), in terms of the percentage of women in municipal office by state as of March 2022.
As this country’s majority gender, chief consumers, and lead caregivers of our families, women must be proportionately represented in elected leadership positions to advocate for and enact legislation that enhances their economic stability and independence, health, and safety. The fastest way to advance social and economic justice for women and their families, thereby strengthening our communities and our democracy, is through effective public policy.
Further, a growing body of research shows that women—no matter their party leaning—bring additional priorities, perspectives, and experiences when it comes to leadership, governance, and policymaking; and are especially skilled at identifying shared goals and moving forward solutions based on constructive compromise. One study published by the Harvard Business Review in 2020 found that women executives were rated significantly more positively on 13 of 19 indicators of effective leadership by those working closely with them compared to their male counterparts. The study was conducted to further explore the concept of the glass cliff, which is the idea that when a company is in crisis a woman is put in charge to pick up the pieces and prevent implosion. The data suggests that women are more effective leaders overall, especially in times of crisis. At a time when the partisan divide threatens our personal and national security, women are particularly well positioned to more fully taking up the mantle of duty and becoming more engaged in their civic responsibility.
