Iowa went from being the only state to require gender balancing at all levels to having no gender balancing. In 2024, Iowa legislators passed Senate File (SF) 2096, removing gender balancing requirements from the appointment process for state boards and commissions. Subsequently, § 69.16A was struck from the Iowa Code, thereby removing gender balancing requirements. This repeal will create discrimination against women akin to the pre-§ 69.16A-era, reducing their political participation overall.
Reinstating § 69.16A, or similar language, would ensure stronger opportunities for women in politics. While gender balancing legislation has not been found to increase the number of women involved in politics over time, Iowa’s repeal of gender balancing language does not bode well for women’s participation on state boards and commissions or in higher elected political offices, where such boards could serve as a springboard. Iowa should comprehensively address ways to increase women’s participation in politics, like stronger family support policies and building trust in government institutions. § 69.16A or similar language should be reinstated in the Iowa Code as a part of that effort to continue to provide more opportunities for women in government, for our “Iowa kind of special.”
Henry Dambach, “There’s An Iowa Kind of Special”: Opportunities for Women in State Government in the Wake of SF 2096, 29 J. Gender, Race & Just. 275 (2026).