U.S. State Commissions on Men or Women
Graph of the Week
This week’s graphic is a map of the United States (U.S.) showing the states that have government commissions or offices dedicated to men’s or women’s wellbeing.
Key Points
A total of 0 of 50 U.S. states have a men’s commission or office.
A total of 37 of 50 U.S. states (74%) have a women’s commission or office (see map and links below).
Some states that do not currently have a women’s commission or office had one previously. Examples include Alaska, Nebraska, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
Bonus Commentary
The map shows that most U.S. states have a women’s commission or office, while none have a men’s commission or office. Some women’s commissions have existed for many years. For example, the Wisconsin Women’s Council was founded in 1983, and the Georgia Commission on Women was created in 1992.
An overarching purpose of these commissions is to advise state officials on the wellbeing of girls and women and what state policies should be enacted to enhance this wellbeing. Women’s commissions regularly publish state-specific reports on the status of girls and women, and they often host local events, seminars, and webinars. Annual budgets used to accomplish these tasks can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, for financial year 2024, the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women had a budget of $329,530. For financial year 2025, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women had a budget of $958,784.
To the extent that sex-specific commissions improve the wellbeing of the sex they represent, the lack of men’s commissions is problematic, as the epidemiological and educational data show relatively poor outcomes for boys and men. Moreover, the existence of a taxpayer-funded state commission for only one sex might be illegal, and the National Coalition for Men (NCFM) is arguing this in their lawsuit against the state of California. According to NCFM, the state of California has been violating “the equal rights of boys and of men,” as the state has “spent over $25 million on the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls from 2021 to 2024 and has yet to establish a commission on boys and men.”
The California case will be interesting to follow. It could serve as a precedent for lawsuits in other states.
Speaking of precedents – a state that is likely to be one of the first in establishing a commission on boys and men is Washington. Blair Daily has been doing the groundwork for this possibility through the Washington Initiative for Boys and Men (WIBM). I recommend following WIBM on Substack.
Websites for Women’s Commissions
California Commission on Status of Women and Girls
Connecticut Commission On Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity
Delaware Office of Women's Advancement and Advocacy
Florida Commission on the Status of Women
Hawai‘i State Commission on Status of Women
Illinois Council on Women and Girls
Iowa Commission on the Status of Women
Louisiana Governor’s Office on Women’s Policy
Maine Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women
Minnesota Office on the Economic Status of Women
New Jersey Advisory Commission on the Status of Women
New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women
North Dakota Commission on the Status of Women
Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women
Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women
Rhode Island Commission on Women
Texas Governor’s Commission for Women
Utah Women in the Economy Commission
Washington State Women’s Commission
West Virginia Women's Commission
Wyoming Council for Women’s Issues
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Thanks for pulling this depressing data together Jim. Lots of pink on that map. My own state of Maryland has had women's commission since, ready for it? 1972. To the best of my knowledge it has been funded each year since. I don't think they have a huge budget maybe something like 200k a year, but that is 200k more than the men. Would love to see a law suit here in Maryland. https://dhs.maryland.gov/maryland-commission-women/
BTW most counties in Maryland also have commissions for women. I am pretty sure there are none for men. GYNOCENTRISM.
The Danes published a study in 2022:
"Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health concerning 4835 persons, from 1986 to 2011 showing MEN suffer the most in rupturs conflicts. There are 4 times more men's suicides than women's.If you keep in mind Justice and Police policies in Domestic violence affairs (Beleive the woman, condemn the man), it is an evidence for the powerful feminist "Hate the male ideology".And the root comes from politicians spreading "women are victims" / men are Predators;