Gender Parity Among U.S. Governors Is on the Decline, as Fewer Women Hold States’ Top Spot

Women make up just over half of the U.S. population, but just 12 percent of the nation’s governors, according to data from the National Governors Association compiled by Bloomberg. That’s down from a peak of 20 percent, in 2005. “The problem is the pipeline,” says Andrea Dew Steele, President of Emerge America, a national organization that recruits, trains and offers other non-financial help to female candidates at the state and local level. “That’s why we are doing everything we can to encourage women to run for election.”