A Big First for Female Lawmakers in the US

In the US, more than half of the population—50.8%—is female. But it wasn't until this year that a state legislature has been made up of more than 50% women. In Nevada, which began its legislative session Monday, 50.8% of state representatives and senators are women, NPR reports. Just one other state, Colorado, has a female majority in any one chamber (Colorado's lower house has three more women than men), and such a single chamber majority has only occurred once before in the nation's history. Of course, the gender gap remains wide in other states (only about 15% of state lawmakers in Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, and Louisiana are female), and nationwide, women make up just 28% of representation. (The number of women running for president in 2020 presents a "challenge.")