“Racism and sexism have converged to ensure there are few women in office, even fewer women of color,” says Cohen, founder and president of the Gender Equity Policy Institute. Photo by Getty ImagesStill, the recent rise in the number of women in elected office is significant. With 91 Democrats and 33 Republican women serving in the House of Representatives, women marked a new House record. She Should Run, a nonprofit group promoting women as candidates, found in a 2023 “Group Chat Issues” survey conducted with YWCA and UN Women that 22% of women surveyed were fired up to run for office. Dittmar says it is also important to examine what elected women are doing to address the growing number of issues they care about.