Political Representation
The data reflects the number of women in elected offices and leadership roles within Kenosha and Racine counties, as well as leadership roles in area school districts. In today’s world, we have witnessed an increase in women in political roles at the national level. Unfortunately, as you review the data in this section, the trend is not reflected in municipalities and villages within Kenosha and Racine counties.
Women are less likely than men to run, and are more likely to think that they do not have the necessary attributes for elected office. Studies show that when women run for office they win at the exact same rate as men. Therefore, fewer women are running for political office in Kenosha and Racine than are in other areas.
This data demonstrates the need for more women to run for political office in order to achieve greater participation in elected offices and leadership roles.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Overall, women hold local government elected offices in Kenosha and Racine counties at similar rates when compared to the rest of the state of Wisconsin.
- However, women are absent from higher level leadership positions in local government.
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Data Interpretation
- Women are underrepresented in Kenosha and Racine counties on school boards and county board elected bodies.
- Women’s representation is overall higher than the statewide average when exploring town boards, village boards, and city councils.
- The most notable difference between Kenosha and Racine counties in regards to women’s representation is City Council membership. Female representation on the Racine City Council is 25% higher (37% - 10 out of 27 members) compared to the Kenosha City Council (12% - 2 out of 27).
Data Source
Local government officials’ websites and in County Clerk official directories
Village and Town Boards were not calculated separately for Wisconsin Statewide.
Data Interpretation
- Women hold local government leadership seats in Kenosha and Racine counties at a higher percentage than the rest of the state. 6 out of 25 leadership positions in the two counties are held by women.
- Women only hold local government leadership positions as Town Board Chair (3 out of 11 towns - all three in Racine county) or Village Board Chair (3 out of 16 villages).
- Women are absent from higher level leadership positions in local government (school board president, city mayor, county board chair, or county executive).
Data Source
Local government officials’ websites and in County Clerk official directories.