A Republican woman has never been House majority leader. That's sadly not going to change soon.

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 30 September 2015

With Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers dropping her bid for House majority leader on Monday, the GOP's leadership seems assured to go without a woman filling a top spot for awhile longer. In fact, McMorris Rodgers is already the farthest advanced woman ever among Republican leaders, holding a number four position as the House Republican Conference chair.

Even while more Republican women than ever before serve in Congress — 23 in the House and six in the Senate — Politico reports that there is no indication one of them will be assuming a top role in the future. In fact, most of them can't even get a committee chairmanship:

Out of 21 full committees in the House, Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) is the only woman wielding a gavel. But Miller, who was appointed to that position by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), will retire at the end of this Congress. She was defeated by Texas Rep. Mike McCaul in a 2012 race to become head the Homeland Security Committee.Other women in GOP leadership include Reps. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, who serve as secretary and vice chair of the conference, respectively.In the Senate, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte is the lone woman in Republican leadership, serving as the appointed "counsel" to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Senate Energy Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is the sole woman atop a full committee. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) serves as chairwoman of the Special Committee on Aging. [Politico]

Among Democrats, representation is better: 14 women are in the Senate with 65 women in the House. Additionally, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is the only woman to have served as House speaker, making her the highest-ranking female politician in the nation's history. Even so, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said in a book she published with Hillary Clinton last year that the Senate remains "an old boys' club without a doubt."

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Some female Republicans disagree that sexism is at play, however. "We have to be judged on our talents, not just whether we're males or females," Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina told Politico. "I don't feel any sexism in our conference at all."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.