Institute of Governmental Studies

This paper examines gender differences in committee assignments of state legislators serving throughout the country in 1988 and 2001. Fewer gender differences in committee assignments were apparent in 2001 than in 1988. Nevertheless, in 2001 women continued to be significantly more likely than men to serve on two types of committees–education committees and health and human services committees. However, women seem largely to serve on these committees by choice; they want to be on these committees. And once on these committees, they work on legislation relevant to the substantive focus of these committees. This cluster of findings suggests that women legislators are, in fact, using their committee appointments as a means to pursue their interests in education and in health care and human services. And the end result is that women legislators give more attention and priority to these issues than their male colleagues do.