Women legislators are wielding increasing influence in state government.

Consider the statistics: In 2016, there were 1,805 women serving in state legislatures. By 2025, the number increased to 2,451 — a 36% increase in just under a decade and the highest mark in our nation’s history, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

One factor that may help explain the rise in female leadership, according to several long-term women lawmakers, is the growing role played around the country by women’s legislative caucuses.

Currently, nearly half the states have a women’s caucus. Of those, at least two — Maryland and Massachusetts — have had a women’s caucus for more than 50 years.

These caucuses “play a vital role in state legislatures, as they often provide space to discuss policy issues candidly, allowing female lawmakers to find common ground before these ideas reach the broader legislative floor,” said Meredith Martino, executive director of Women In Government, a national organization that supports women legislators through conferences, state-based events and policy webinars.

By building consensus on their policy priorities ahead of time, women legislators say they’re having more success getting their bills to the floor and to the governor’s desk.

“Despite all the gains we’ve made, women are still in the minority in statehouses, so it’s important that we help each other out,” said West Virginia Senate Assistant Majority Leader Patricia Rucker, who serves as co-vice chair of the Women In Government Board of Directors. “We always aim to pick one thing we do as a caucus that we’ll push for, both in the House and the Senate, and it’s amazing how much that is a force multiplier.”

A case in point Rucker cites from a few years ago: At one of its monthly policy luncheons, the West Virginia Legislative Women’s Caucus learned that some criminal rape cases had been dropped because hospitals weren’t obligated at all hours to maintain someone on staff trained to administer rape kits.

“That made us so furious,” Rucker said. “We could all see that this was unacceptable. So, we crafted a bill mandating that someone be trained and available at every hospital, and we increased the reimbursement costs for hospitals to make it easier on them as well. We were united. And I hate to say it, but we shamed those men. We asked, ‘How is it possible we don’t have this?’ And sure enough, they passed it. It was an amazing victory.”

IIn California, the women’s caucus, founded in 1985, has grown into a well-oiled policy machine. With 59 members and six staffers, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus is such a bustle of activity that leadership has committed to a streamlined, manageable process in which each member is allowed to submit one bill for consideration by the larger caucus. Legislators’ names are redacted to encourage fairness and objectivity, and the bills are organized under 10 different subject areas, said California Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, chair of her state’s women’s caucus.

“It’s worked really well, and everyone likes it because it’s equal across the board,” Aguiar-Curry said. “And we get a lot of stuff done. The men have gotten used to us, and I’d say we’ve helped them become better leaders as well because we’re always prepared and ready to go.”

The California Women’s Legislative Caucus also maintains a nonprofit foundation for fundraising. Proceeds help contribute to $5,000 educational scholarships and smaller nonprofit initiatives — awards that members can distribute in their districts.

“Everybody helps chip in with the fundraising,” Aguiar-Curry said. “And it’s been very beneficial for our members, because who doesn’t love to award a big check at an event? I should add, however, that not every state can do this. It’s taken us years and years of work to get to where we are today. It didn’t happen overnight.”

Rucker added that when she first arrived in the West Virginia Legislature, she initially created a women’s caucus just for her Republican colleagues, but it “fell apart after a year” for lack of support. Shortly thereafter, she tried again, this time ensuring that the caucus was bipartisan. And she courted a lawmaker from across the aisle to serve as co-chair.

“That version of the caucus did a lot better and is still going strong,” Rucker said. “I think making it bipartisan shows that we’re a welcoming place and open to all ideas. I believe we all have a lot more in common than we do not. So if we focus on the issues that matter to us — child welfare, maternal health, workforce issues — we’re going to find that we share a lot of agreement. And we can get a lot more done.”

Both lawmakers added that their respective state women’s caucuses also serve as an educational forum for members. Each month, the caucuses bring in policy experts to help lawmakers better understand subjects close to their legislative priorities. And the caucuses likewise serve as a link to women legislators in other states, connecting them through in-state visits and national conferences, such as Women In Government’s Leadership & Innovation Summit, which aim to foster collaboration and the exchange of policy ideas.

“Women legislators from opposite sides of the aisle and both chambers often attend our conferences and find it beneficial to have a space outside their own capitol where they can spend time together as colleagues without being focused on specific legislation,” Martino said, adding that Women in Government provides full travel reimbursements for legislators attending the organization’s in-person policy conferences. “These conferences convene female lawmakers and policy experts with the primary intent for legislators to return to their states and women’s caucuses with innovative solutions to implement sound policy on topics related to access to health care, resilient communities and strong economies.”