UWLP Updates Research on Women Leaders in Government – Cities and Towns

The Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) at Utah State University published research in 2020 to determine women’s representation in Utah’s 255 cities and towns. A 2024 report released today updates the 2020 research.

The recent report shows a slight increase from 29.1% (2020) to 29.8% (2024) of women holding supervisory, managerial, and executive leadership positions in Utah city and town governments. The findings at the city/town level are considerably lower than the percentage of women leaders in county leadership, 45.7%, or for the State of Utah, 41.4%.

Cities with the highest percentage of female leaders include: Snowville, 83.3%; Cleveland, 77.8%; Bluff and Deweyville, 75%; Glendale, Grantsville, Hanksville, Laketown, Portage and Redmond, 66.7%. Cities with the lowest percentage of women leaders include: Santaquin and Naples, 0%; Cedar City, 9.1%; Newton, 10%; West Jordan, 11.3%; Wales and Ferron, 12.5%; Sigurd, Paradise, Morgan, Howell, and Fairview, 14.2%.

As far as elected positions, the cities/towns with the highest percentage of women leaders are Bluff, Garland, Vineyard and Virgin, each at 80%. The lowest percentage of elected women include West Valley, 11.1%; Aurora, 12.5%; and Ephraim, 14.3%. Some 40 Utah cities and towns reported they have no elected women leaders.

Women leaders in Utah’s city governments by leadership level include 27.7% of women at the top leadership level; 38.8% at the executive level; 29% at the senior level; and 20.9% on the front-line level. In municipal governments, one of the highest appointed administrative positions is that of city manager. Although not all of Utah’s cities/towns have this position, only 13.7% are women, an increase from the 5.2% in 2020.

“Strategies implemented by some Utah municipalities have already led to greater diversity in the leadership ranks; however, there are also opportunities for improvement,” said Susan R. Madsen, UWLP founder and director and the Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership at USU. “More deliberate strategies are needed to achieve gender diversity. Research shows that communities and organizations will increasingly thrive when men and women work together in more equal numbers in leadership roles.”

Some 37.2% of women leaders in Utah city/town governments are in urban areas, compared to 27.1% in rural communities. Women leaders also serve in smaller organizations with 39.5% serving with 0-19 employees, and 33.3% serving with 20-59 employees. Counties with the highest percentage of women municipal leaders is Grand with 54.4%, Daggett with 53.8%, Wasatch with 47.1%, Wayne with 46.3%, and San Juan, 45.5%. The counties with the lowest percentage of women leaders are Morgan with 14.3%, Uintah with 21.4%, and Weber with 24.8%.

The research provides the following recommendations:

1. Partner with colleges and universities, particularly Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs, to encourage women to pursue careers in local government.
2. Strategically recruit more women, particularly women of color, to apply for open positions, and ensure there is a diverse pool of applicants before interviewing begins.
3. Implement employee and family-friendly policies, such as paid parental leave, flexible working arrangements, daycare assistance, lactation support, student loan assistance, and tuition reimbursement.
4. Recognize, reward, and encourage the work of women in private and public settings.
5. Encourage associated and other types of organizations to educate public officials, city managers, and other city/town leaders about the value of inclusion and belonging in local government.
6. Support and encourage qualified female candidates to run for mayor, city council, and other elected offices.

“Lack of gender diversity and women in front-line and senior positions at the local level may hinder organizations from reaching peak performance and limit innovation,” Madsen said. “Although some progress has been made to get more women into leadership positions in local governments, intentional effort is needed to address the ongoing and persistent challenges Utah women face in their efforts to advance and assume more active leadership roles in government organizations throughout our state.”

Additional authors of the report include April Townsend, UWLP research fellow, and Kolene Anderson, UWLP associate director.

To see the full research brief click here. To read more about the UWLP, click here.