Congresswomen and Motherhood
Since 1917, 443 (293D, 1Ind, 149R) women have served as voting members in the U.S. Congress. In addition, 8 (4D, 4R) women have served as non-voting delegates to Congress. Of the 451 women who have served in total, at least 364 (231D, 133R), or 80.7%, were mothers during their time in office.*
Today, of the 154 (112D, 42R) women who are currently serving as voting or non-voting members in Congress, 118 (79D, 39R) – or 76.6% – are mothers.
- U.S. Representative: 91 (64D, 27R) of 124 (94D, 30R)
- 73.4% (68.1% D, 90% R)
- U.S. Senator: 23 (13D, 10R) of 26 (16D, 10R)
- 88.5% (81.3% D, 100% R)
- U.S. Delegate: 4 (2D, 2R) of 4 (2D, 2R)
- 100% (100% D, 100% R)
On November 7, 1922, Winnifred Sprague Mason Huck (R-IL) became the first mother to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Historically, 15 (7D, 8R) women have given birth in office. Seven (4D, 3R) of those women are current officeholders.
- The first woman to give birth in Congress was U.S. Representative Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (D-CA) in 1974.
- U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) gave birth to three children – in 2007, 2010, and 2013 – while serving in the U.S. House.
- U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) became the first woman to give birth in the U.S. Senate in 2018. She is also the first woman to give birth while serving in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate; her first child was born in 2014, while she was a U.S. representative.
- U.S. Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) welcomed her daughter on August 14, 2025, marking the most recent birth by a congresswoman.
For us to have a seat at the table and be able to share our experience as wives and mothers is important.
- Former U.S. Representative Marthy Roby (R-AL) in A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who bring their experiences and perspectives to leadership!
For more information on mothers in Congress, including data on congresswomen who are mothers to young children, visit Vote Mama Foundation. www.votemamafoundation.org
- *
Our definition of motherhood is broad and inclusive to account for diverse parental situations and motherhood of children at any age; however, we are limited by the information publicly available about members’ familial situations. The only cases not included here are congresswomen who became mothers after leaving congressional office.
