Originally published by Claire Carter for Carolina News and Reporter Women make up 51.3% of South Carolina’s population. But they’re only 14.7% of the state’s legislators. Across the country, state legislatures tend to…
It’s no small secret South Carolina women have little voice in state affairs.
It was national news in 2016 when the number of women in the state Senate quadrupled — from one to four. That figure will have increased by just two members at the start of the 2024 legislative session.
Women make up a little more than half the state’s population, yet they comprise less than 15 percent of the state Legislature. That ranks South Carolina among the bottom three nationally for women representation in state government.
SC Women in Leadership (SC WIL) is celebrating its fifth birthday as an organization and many women gathered on the state house steps Tuesday to show support. Members of the South Carolina Women’s Legislative Caucus, SC WIL Founders and friends were in attendance to acknowledge what the organization has accomplished so far and their plans for the future.