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New research published in the Journal of Politics shows that despite increases in representation in statehouses across the country, some legislators encounter persistent barriers to achieving their policy goals—barriers not experienced equally across the board.
The study, “High Hurdles: Legislative Professionalism and the Effectiveness of Women State Legislators,” was written by George Mason University’s Robert J. McGrath, an associate professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government and director of the Political Science and Public Policy PhD programs; Schar School PhD graduate Jatia D. Wrighten, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University; and Josh M. Ryan, a professor of political science at Utah State University.
“The study started with a basic puzzle: Women in Congress consistently outperform men, but in state legislatures, they tend to be less effective,” said McGrath. “An earlier paper on Congress described these high-performing women as ‘Jill Robinsons’—women who, like Jackie Robinson in professional baseball, had to be better than their peers just to get in the game. But that study didn’t look at state legislatures, where the dynamics are different. We wanted to know: Why do women excel in one setting but not the other?”
In fact, reading the article The Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect as a graduate student in McGrath’s political science class inspired coauthor Wrighten to examine performance by Black women in leadership (a book is on the way).
“After reading this article in Rob's class, I wondered what women's performance looked like in state legislatures,” she said. “I focused on state legislatures because there are more women, resulting in more variation. Instead of using the election as the measure of success, I focused on committee portfolios.”
The new study reveals that it’s not enough to simply elect more women to state legislatures—real representation means giving them the tools to do the job. This research looks at how effective women lawmakers are compared to men, and what might be holding them back.
The authors argue that in more professionalized state legislatures—places with full-time lawmakers, higher salaries, and more staff—women face tougher elections but come in better prepared to legislate. That’s the good news.
But the study also shows something troubling: Once they’re in office, women are often assigned to less powerful committees than their male colleagues, limiting their influence. Using original data tracking committee assignments over time, the researchers find a persistent gap in how legislative resources are distributed between men and women.
Even with these disadvantages, women in more professional legislatures still outperform men on measures of effectiveness. That suggests the higher hurdles they face on the way result in a more prepared, more driven group of lawmakers—women who are ready to deliver for their constituents despite the structural roadblocks.
“Effectiveness” is measured by the legislative effectiveness score developed by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. The measurement considers the number of bills sponsored that make it out of committee and become law. The measure is also weighted by the substantiative impact the bill would have.
“What we found is that in more professionalized state legislatures, women face higher barriers to entry,” McGrath said. “But the women who do win in those environments are exceptionally skilled, and they end up outperforming their male colleagues, just like in Congress. That might sound like a success story, but it’s actually a sign of persistent inequality.”
Once inside the system, if that system doesn’t support women—through strong institutions, fair committee assignments, and leadership opportunities—they’re held back.
“Even in the most professional legislatures where women are more effective, women still receive less valuable committee assignments than men,” he said. “And in less professional legislatures, where resources are scarce, those poor committee assignments become real barriers to doing the job well.”
The study shows that even in legislatures with a high number of women, including women in leadership positions, this problem doesn’t automatically go away. To compound the issue, as voters demand smaller government and lower legislative spending, legislatures risk becoming less professional. That could make it even harder for women to turn representation into results.
“One of the important takeaways from our article is that descriptive representation does, in fact, translate into substantive representation,” said Wrighten. “In other words, women serving in state legislatures, even as they are assigned to low-profile committees, are still effective in legislating."
“And we know women focus on issues that matter most to women, such as education, criminal justice, and health policy. This matters because the goal of a democracy is to represent its constituents. The more diverse voices, the more our government systems reflect the needs and the wants of the people.”
“The study,” said McGrath, “is a reminder that equity isn't just about getting more women into office. We need to consider what happens once they get there, and whether the structures of power are set up to support them or sideline them.”