As of 1990, women's political participation was at such a rate as to rival that of men. Seventy-nine percent of women were registered to vote, compared to eighty percent of men; fifty-four to seventy-one percent of those women actually voted in local and national elections, respectively according to fifty-five percent and seventy-one percent with men. Also, ten percent of women were working on political campaigns, while eleven percent of men were reported to be working on a campaign.
Women have also been more active on taking political positions at local and national levels. Women now account for just over eleven percent of all seats in Congress and twenty-one percent of all seats in state legislatures (Carroll 10). Nationwide, there are 6 women governors and the share of women holding office at the municipal and township levels of government has seen an increase of four to fourteen percent from 1975 to 1985, and an increase up to twenty percent as of 1991. Also in 1991, 19 of the 100 largest cities in the United States had women mayors, including four of the ten most populous cities (Kahn 17).
The issues that women find most important are also something to be analyzed when dealing with women and their role in politics. Women tend to be generalized as being worried about issues such as health care, education, welfare reform, abortion, family values, gun control, and drug coverage. However, the biggest misconception is that women vote on these issues as a block. Many people believe that women vote as a block, with most women voting in favor of the "compassion issues" that encompass those mentioned above. In all actuality though, most women do not vote that differently than men. When analyzed by race, white women tend to vote on the issues in about the same proportion as white men. The same generally holds true not only for white women but also for women of color, in particular African-American women (Kathlene 79).