New Parline: the IPU’s Open Data Platform (beta)
Your one-stop-shop for information about national parliaments

United States of America

-

Senate

This is a bicameral parliament. Switch to theHouse of Representatives
Political system Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
Presidential system
Compare data of this field.
Structure of parliament Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
Bicameral
Compare data of this field.
IPU membership Current membership status
No
See historical data for this field. Compare data of this field.

Data on women

empty

Basic information > About parliament

Speaker

Speaker
Chuck Grassley (Male)
Year of birth
1933
Speaker
Mike Pence (Male)
Year of birth
1959
See historical data for this field.

Secretary general

Secretary general
Julie E. Adams (Female)
Notes Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
Appointed on 6 Jan. 2015.

Members

Current number of members, by sex
Women The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
25
See historical data for this field.
Percentage of women Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
25% See historical data for this field.

Age

Average age of all members
Not available
See historical data for this field. Compare data of this field.
Total number of MPs, 45 years of age or younger
11
Total number of MPs, 46 years of age or older
89
Total per sex
Total of male
80
Total of female
20
Total per age interval
18-20
0
21-30
0
31-40
2
41-45
9
46-50
6
51-60
32
61-70
32
71-80
17
81-90
2
91 and over
0
Number of members, by age
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Totals per age interval 0 0 2 9 6 32 32 17 2 0
Total <= 45: 11 Total >= 46: 89
Male 0 0 2 8 4 27 23 15 1 0 80
Female 0 0 0 1 2 5 9 2 1 0 20
Percentage of members, by age
Age as last election or renewalOverallMaleFemale
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger0%0%0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger2%2%0%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger11%10%1%

Reserved seats and quotas

Electoral quota for women Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
No
Compare data of this field.
Elections > Election results

Results

Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
21
Number of women elected
14
Percentage of women elected The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
40%
Number of women after election or renewal, by mode of designation
Women Directly Elected
14

New legislature

Total number of men after the election The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
75
Total number of women after the election The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
25
Elections > Historical data on women

Women's suffrage

Women’s right to vote
Right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1920
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Even though African Americans were given the right to vote in 1870 with the 15th Amendment, the Supreme Court left to the state governments the responsibility for protecting most of the basic rights of their citizens, and some state governments passed laws that made it almost impossible for African Americans, to exercise their right.. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act confirmed that no person should be denied the right to vote on account of race or color. It must be noted that the State of Wyoming granted women the right to vote in 1869. Other States followed suite. The right to vote was granted at the federal level in 1920.
Right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1965
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Reconfirming the right to vote for men and women alike (from 1920 onwards women had the same voting rights as men)
Women’s right to stand for election
Right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1788
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
The Constitution of 13 September 1788 does not mention sex with regard to the right to stand for election to either Houses of parliament.
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament Year in which first woman entered parliament
1917
Notes