Women’s fight for political equality in the United States dates back to the birth of the nation itself. From the beginning, women activists understood that they could not claim their rights—economic and social as well as political—without the ballot.

The struggle for women’s suffrage was long and contentious. The last generation of suffragists, those who celebrated the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, rejoiced at their gains but soon found that getting the vote was simply the first step toward equal political participation. Prior to the mid-twentieth century, few women won elective office to state or national legislatures or executive positions. Instead, women reformers focused on grassroots organizing and political education. The 1960’s witnessed a new chapter in the women’s rights movement and with it, women activists’ renewed interest in electoral politics. In Iowa, women began to chip away at the male dominance of the state House and Senate. Early women legislators faced patronizing attitudes, derision, and even hostility from their male counterparts. They nevertheless persevered, laying the groundwork for those who followed in greater and greater numbers. 

Over the past several decades, Iowa women lawmakers have crafted bills and worked to pass legislation that benefitted not only women but all Iowans. Today, the proportion of Iowa’s female legislators remains lower than women’s share of the state’s population. But if history is any indicator, Iowa women will continue to work toward political equality, establishing their own legacy while building on the work of those who came before. 

Women’s Movement Timeline

Sources and Further Reading