2025 Elections

Women Rise in Cabinets and Campaigns—But Gaps Persist, From Korea to Congress

PUBLISHED 5/30/2025 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation about women’s representation in politics, sports and entertainment, judicial offices and the private sector—with a little gardening mixed in!

This week:
—For the first time in Australian history, there will be more women than men in the federal Cabinet, thanks in large part to ranked-choice voting and gender quotas.
—Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop announces South Orange Village Mayor Sheena Collum as running mate.
—A new report written by Jennifer Piscopo, Nancy L. Cohen and Natalia Vega Varela explores how gender inequality continues to limit women’s opportunities and well-being globally.
—As South Korea approaches its 2025 presidential election, the complete absence of female candidates on the final ballot marks a stark regression in gender representation.

… and more!

This Week in Women’s Representation: Women Voters Deliver Win for Canada’s Mark Carney; Latinas Set New Record in U.S. State Legislatures; Federal Job Cuts Threaten the Black Middle Class

PUBLISHED 5/2/2025 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: May milestones include May Day and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month; the gender gap in Canada’s latest election shows women delivered Carney’s win; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton may take Sen. Dick Durbin’s place in the Senate; and more.

This Week in Women’s Representation: Earth Day 2025; Barbara Lee Wins Oakland Mayor Race with Ranked-Choice Voting; Group of All Men Negotiate Ukraine War

PUBLISHED 4/25/2025 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: The official theme of Earth Day 2025 is “Our Power, Our Planet,” calling for individuals to advocate for climate solutions and renewable energy at every level of government; former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee won a convincing win in a ranked-choice voting election to become the fourth consecutive woman elected as mayor and the first-ever Black woman mayor; zero women were included in the Ukraine-Russia peace talks; a woman Democrat could replace Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat in Illinois; and more.

Keeping Score: Bill Disenfranchising Women Voters Passes U.S. House, Heads to Senate; Barbara Lee Becomes Mayor of Oakland; Republicans Threaten SNAP and Medicaid

PUBLISHED 4/24/2025 by

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Only 34 percent of single women are looking for a relationship, compared to 54 percent of single men; the House passed the SAVE Act which could disenfranchise 69 million married women; Sen. Booker (D-N.J.) broke Senate speech record; Medicaid and SNAP are at risk of cuts; Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains illegally deported and imprisoned, and Trump says “homegrowns” are next; marking Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Equal Pay Day; 13 states have recently introduced bills to improve menopause care; Democratic Women’s Caucus leaders and over 150 House members urged RFK Jr. to restore frozen Title X funding; Georgia dropped charges against Selena Chandler-Scott, who was arrested after being found unconscious and bleeding after a miscarriage; and more.

This Week in Women’s Representation: Women Shoppers Face Double Burden of Pink Tax and Tariffs; Happy Birthday, Dolores Huerta!

PUBLISHED 4/11/2025 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Women worldwide have made giant strides in the 21st century toward parity, but that progress is stalling and, in some cases, being reversed; Virginia’s 2025 gubernatorial elections will likely result in the state’s first woman governor; the ‘pink tax,’ combined with new Trump tariffs, will without a doubt exacerbate income inequality and economic hardship experienced by women; and more.

A Historic Win in Wisconsin: What Susan Crawford’s Victory Signals

PUBLISHED 4/10/2025 by | UPDATED 4/11/2025 at 7:08 A.M. PT

In a record-breaking election, Wisconsin voters elected liberal judge Susan Crawford to the state Supreme Court, defeating right-wing candidate Brad Schimel in what became the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history. With over $100 million spent, the race became a referendum not just on abortion rights and union protections, but on billionaires like Elon Musk attempting to buy political power. 

Crawford’s win is more than just a victory for Democrats. It is a rebuke of President Trump, aggressive masculinity and right-wing efforts to strip away reproductive freedom. It also marks a turning point in organizing, as voters turned out in force to defend their rights and shape the future of the court.

This Week in Women’s Representation: With Crawford’s Win in Wisconsin, Six of Seven Justices Are Women; Bipartisan Push for Proxy Voting in Congress for New Parents

PUBLISHED 4/4/2025 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Remembering Abigail Adams’ warning to her husband, “Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could”; Susan Crawford won the most expensive judicial election in American history; Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) is leading the push to allow proxy voting for expectant mothers in Congress, but some of her Republican colleagues are standing in the way; new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney eliminated the position of minister for women and gender equality and youth from his Cabinet; and more.

This Week in Women’s Representation: From AOC to Alaska’s Next Governor, Women Candidates to Watch in 2024, 2028 and Beyond

PUBLISHED 3/28/2025 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris did not lose to Donald Trump because they were women; Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announces run for governor; it’s looking increasingly likely that a woman may be elected in 2026 in Alaska; women will disproportionately feel the effect of Trump’s tariffs; and more.

The SAVE Act’s Impact on Women Voters Isn’t a Coincidence. It’s Voter Suppression.

PUBLISHED 3/26/2025 by | UPDATED 2/11/2026 at 11:38 A.M. PT

Women—especially Black women—are still fighting for equal rights and opportunities in the U.S. Meanwhile, members of Congress are threatening to undermine the hard-fought, fundamental right to vote for all Americans, including millions of women, under the guise of misleading allegations of voter fraud. And they’re ironically calling it the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

Make no mistake: The SAVE Act is not going to “save” anything. This legislation would create unnecessary barriers to registering to vote in every state. It would require all voters to provide proof of citizenship documents in person when registering to vote or updating their registration—provisions that effectively end online, automatic, and mail-in voter registration. Women who change their name after marriage or divorce would face unnecessary barriers to registering to vote.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: 2024’s Top-Grossing Films Achieved Gender Equality; All-Male Leadership Photo Sparks Debate Over Gender Parity in Germany Post-Elections

PUBLISHED 2/28/2025 by | UPDATED 11/4/2025 at 7:43 A.M. PT

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 
This week: For the first time in recent history, the percentage of top-grossing films featuring female protagonists equaled that of films with male protagonists; the use of antiquated voting systems in Canada and the U.S. is a major barrier to women winning; gearing up for the fourth annual Democracy Solutions Summit, March 4-6; women running for governor and Senate in 2024; Germany elected a new coalition government, and women lost ground in Parliament; growing tensions between Democratic governors and President Donald Trump; 41 state constitutions nationwide use exclusively male pronouns to reference an individual seeking or holding elected office; and more.