For years, the halls of Congress were a man’s world. The first woman elected to Congress, Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana, entered the House in 1917, three years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote and decades before the civil rights movement gave women of color access to the ballot.
Now, more than a century later, 150 women serve in Congress, a record high. And as more women have joined the House and Senate, the ranks of senior staffers on Capitol Hill have changed accordingly. More women, especially younger women, are leading congressional positions as chiefs of staff, giving them invaluable access to lawmakers and opportunities to influence the policies that shape Americans’ lives.
Data shows that white male staffers are still more likely to hold high positions on Capitol Hill, but the young women running congressional offices are eager to change that. And among Democratic chiefs of staff, this year marks a watershed year: Many were first inspired to get involved in politics after Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss, and the country now has a new chance to not only defeat Donald Trump but elect Kamala Harris as the first female president.
“It’s really important that women in positions of power speak out and share their experiences,” said Marie Baldassarre, 29, chief of staff to Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. “The more examples young women can have like that, the less we doubt ourselves — because we’ve seen others do it.”
A call to action after 2016
Several Democratic chiefs of staff said they had not envisioned a career in politics before Trump’s 2016 victory. They certainly did not expect to rise to the level of chief of staff, which is the top job in a congressional office and can consult directly with a member of the House of Representatives on legislative and policy decisions.
After her family immigrated to the U.S. from Iran when she was seven, Armita Pedramrazi, chief of staff to Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, thought she might pursue pro bono immigration law. Then a mentor suggested she apply for a job with then-Congresswoman Susan Davis.
The more examples like this young women can have, the less we will doubt ourselves – we’ve seen other people do it
Marie Baldassare, Chief of Staff of Ro Khanna
“I signed up completely on impulse, thinking there was absolutely no way that someone without political connections or some kind of influence could run for congressional office,” said Pedramrazi, 32. “It felt like something incredibly far away, impossible.”
She got the job and eventually moved to Washington, D.C., in 2016, expecting to work on immigration policy with the Hillary Clinton administration. That didn’t happen, but she did stay on in her legislative role with Davis before arriving in Scanlon’s office and rising to chief of staff.
For Amy Kuhn, chief of staff to Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, the Clinton campaign in 2016 marked her first foray into political work. And though Clinton lost, the experience allowed Kuhn to meet her current boss and underscored the importance of the work.
“I’m a lesbian who grew up in the very red state of Montana, so a lot of my life has been inherently political,” said Kuhn, 35. “[The Clinton campaign] was such a good experience, but the outcome was so personal and painful, and we all had to realize what it meant for Donald Trump to become president.”
If the Trump presidency has moved them to action, several chiefs of staff have said the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 reminded them why they chose this professional path in the first place.
“My mother dedicated her career to fighting for reproductive rights, and that was something I really saw as a threat when I first got involved in politics,” Baldassarre said. “Now that Roe has been overturned, it just motivates me that the fight is not over.”
Since the start of her campaign, Harris has reemphasized the importance of protecting abortion access, embracing the rallying cry “we will not go back” to bolster her argument that this election represents an existential struggle over Americans’ fundamental freedoms.
For young women working in Democratic politics, the excitement surrounding Harris’ candidacy highlights the importance of deploying effective messengers who understand the gravity of issues like abortion access.
“She’s a credible storyteller. She can speak to the issue from her own experience, as so many women can,” said Abby May, 28, chief of staff to Democratic Congressman Wiley Nickel. “The fact that she can speak to the millions of women who are worried about their rights being taken away, and she knows what’s at stake, has a huge impact.”
The same logic applies to the young women who lead congressional functions, Pedramrazi argued.
“As a young woman in this day and age, there are ways that we can talk about the issues that voters and our constituents are facing that are much more personal,” she said.
“To me, that’s the benefit of any kind of diversity. You have people who bring a different kind of fire to the issues that affect them personally. And I think that’s as true for a young female chief of staff as it is for anyone.”
There is still more work to be done
Even as more young women hold senior positions in congressional offices, they remain the exception. According to 2019 data compiled by the left-leaning think tank New America, 22% of female Hill staffers hold senior positions, compared with 33% of male Hill staffers. Women were also less likely than men to hold positions focused on political leadership, which tend to be more senior and better paid. Among female Hill staffers, 11% worked in political leadership in 2019, compared with 17% of male staffers.
People of color face their own challenges on Capitol Hill. According to a 2022 report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, people of color make up just 18% of the House’s top staff, despite making up 40% of the national population. In the personal offices of white Democratic members, people of color represent 14.8% of the top staff, compared to 5.2% in the personal offices of white Republican members.
And while those under 35 made up a majority of Hill staffers, political leadership roles tend to be filled by those further along in their careers. In 2019, the average tenure for all staffers was about three years, according to New America data, but the average tenure for those in political management roles was more than 14 years.
I am grateful that the institution of Congress is changing with us
Amy Kuhn, Chief of Staff to Sara Jacobs
The impact of being outnumbered is felt by many employees. May said that even though her boss expressed unwavering confidence in her abilities, she still had the experience of being mistaken for his daughter or intern.
“I think the biggest challenges are from outside people who expect to see one face when they meet the chief of staff and they get mine,” May said. “Being taken seriously at all levels when we’re doing such important work is still a reality that I think all female chiefs of staff – and women across the country – have to deal with.”
Baldasarre echoed that sentiment, praising Khanna and other mentors for giving her the opportunity to advance. “I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced is actually much more subtle, which is that women, people of color, younger people, we just don’t get the same benefit of the doubt when we walk into a new room,” she said.
Despite these challenges, there are signs of slow change. The New America data showed that the percentage of women in senior staff positions increased 5 points, from 17 percent to 22 percent, between 2017 and 2019, even as the percentage of men in senior staff positions increased 11 points over the same period. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies report found that the percentage of people of color in top House staff positions increased from 13.7 percent to 18 percent between 2018 and 2022.
Being taken seriously at all levels is still a reality that I think all female chiefs of staff face.
Abby May, Chief of Staff, Wiley Nickel
“I’m grateful that the institution of Congress is changing with us,” Kuhn said. “We go to meetings every week with all the Democratic leaders, and it’s a remarkably diverse space.”
The young female chiefs of staff are also driving change in their own offices, encouraging colleagues to take mental health days and giving younger employees the chance to speak out.
Pedramrazi wants to create an experience for her younger colleagues that feels markedly different from her own early memories on Capitol Hill, when she often felt condescended to by outside groups, feeling like her contributions or concerns were dismissed out of hand because she wasn’t taken seriously by outside advisers.
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“Nobody really stood at attention when a brown, 24-year-old young woman spoke,” Pedramrazi said. “And I think part of the great experience of being a chief of staff now is … creating a really safe environment for our staffers — regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race — to really feel heard in the office.”
May hopes that by creating more equal roles, more young women will be motivated to get involved in politics. In a year when the enthusiasm of young voters could decide the outcome of a presidential election, that mission feels more urgent than ever.
“Having young women represented only encourages more young women to get involved and take their own seat at the table,” May said.
