Women are a minority in every state legislature in America

There isn’t a single female-majority state legislature in America.

This chart, compiled with data from the Center for American Women and Politics by Graph Zoo, shows that even the two most representative state legislatures barely pass the 40 percent mark:

The state legislatures with fewest women are largely in the South, where state governments tend to be more conservative. Northern and western states, meanwhile, are largely above the US average — but still below full parity.

The overall trend has moved toward more parity over the decades, but it seems to have leveled off since around 2000:

The unequal representation makes it less likely state legislatures will pursue certain issues. Georgetown University researcher Michele Swers previously found women are more likely to champion women’s issues, including equal pay, discrimination in health insurance, and sexual assault in the military. A 2001 report, from the Center for American Women and Politics, found women play key roles in the legislative process when it comes to issues of crime, women’s health, health care, reproductive rights, and welfare reform.