NCFM NOTE: Please support this author. We need more like him to help educate others about the lack of support for boys and men and their issues, and the need for Commissions on the Status of Boys and Men. Harry Crouch, President/Chairman of the Board
U.S. State Commissions on Men or Women
Graph of the Week
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
Related Content at The Nuzzo Letter
U.S. Men’s and Women’s Health Offices
Budget of NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, FY 1991-2025
