Women make up half of the US population, but they are still underrepresented in key roles related to setting taxes and budgets in many states. For example, in Mississippi, only one woman currently serves on the 14-member Joint Legislative Budget Committee. This committee is responsible for making initial recommendations on state spending for schools, prisons, Medicaid, and other programs, giving its members significant influence over state policy and the lives of people who rely on government services.
Nicole Akins Boyd, a second-term senator, is the sole woman on the committee. She was appointed by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who said he did not consider gender balance when making his decision. “I look at the abilities and there are plenty of people that have great abilities, male and female,” Hosemann said. “Nicole Boyd, I believe, is outstanding.”
According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, women hold about 33% of state legislative seats nationwide, with just over 2,400 women serving. Of these, nearly 1,600 are Democrats, just over 800 are Republicans, and the rest are nonpartisan or independent. In 2024, women held about 30% of the seats on committees overseeing taxes, revenues, and other financial matters, according to an Associated Press review.
However, participation varies widely by state. In Utah, women held only 5% of finance-related committee seats in 2024, while in Nevada, women held 62% of such seats in 2023. Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics, noted that long-serving legislators often receive the most desired committee assignments. “Anything budget- and appropriations-related is always at the top,” she said. “Part of the challenge of getting more women is that they haven’t been serving as long and in the numbers needed.”
Mississippi has the third-lowest percentage of women in its legislature, at 15%, with only South Carolina (13%) and West Virginia (11%) having fewer. Women hold just over 11% of seats on Mississippi’s five money committees. The state has never had a woman as governor or House speaker, and only two women have been elected lieutenant governor, decades ago.
“I want to see more women there because I think we add to the conversation,” Boyd said. “We work together differently, and I think those are all good things for the Legislature.” In 2023, women in the Mississippi Legislature successfully secured funding for evidence testing in rape cases, showing their impact on policy decisions.
In West Virginia, Republican Delegate Kathie Hess Crouse said that while women generally get the committee assignments they request, some prioritize other committees over finance. “I do my home budget and file my own taxes, but it’s not my main interest area,” she said. “So do I want to serve on finance? No, I have interests elsewhere.”
In contrast, Nevada became the first state with a majority of female legislators in 2019, and this is reflected in its finance committees. Women hold most of the seats on the Assembly’s Revenue and Ways and Means committees and seven of eight seats on the Senate’s finance committee. Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, chair of the Senate finance committee, said she does not approach her work thinking about gender. “We vote solely as Nevadans and making things better,” she said.
Elizabeth Steiner, former co-chair of the Oregon Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee, emphasized the importance of including women’s perspectives in decision-making. “If you don’t include 50% of the population in your decision-making, then you’re really disadvantaging everybody,” she said.
Other states also have women in prominent roles. In Alaska, a Republican woman co-chaired the House Finance Committee last year. Connecticut has two Democratic women leading the Appropriations Committee and another co-chairing the Finance Committee. Vermont had two Democratic women in charge of the Appropriations committees for 2023-24. However, South Carolina has never had a woman chair a money committee, and only three women served on the House Ways and Means Committee in 2024.
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