Wyoming continues to make advances in female political representation, adding four more women to the Legislature this election cycle.
Twenty out of 93 legislators who will serve constituents in the upcoming general session will be women, including eight women who were elected to their first term.
Yet, as many celebrated the incoming additions to the state’s legislative governing body, there was also recognition of the barriers many women face when deciding to run for office.
“It’s wonderful to see women more present in governance. As a working mother of young children, however, I feel the difficulty of balancing the needs of my family with those of constituents,” said Sarah Penn, representative-elect for House District 33. “I believe this is a major reason why women are less present. We have a very important job of raising up tomorrow’s future. That should never be discounted as being less important.”