Women Lag Men in Political Giving, Analysis Finds

A new analysis of campaign finance data finds that men are outpacing women in political donations in 2026 — and the disparity holds even when small-dollar contributions are factored in.

The analysis from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University found that men account for 62 percent of all dollars given to congressional candidates compared to just 32 percent contributed by women. 

The average donation gap is especially stark among Republicans. Seventy percent of all donations to GOP congressional candidates came from men, while just 30 percent came from women. The disparity is smaller among Democrats, but still apparent; women accounted for 46 percent of all money contributed to Democratic candidates, while men accounted for 54 percent.

All told, women are overrepresented as small-dollar donors. Women make up 62 percent of unique contributors giving $200 or less to Democratic candidates, but only 39 percent of those giving $1,000 or more, according to CAWP’s analysis, which was based on a dataset of over 6.9 million contributions given in 2026 to major party candidates still running as of April 15.

The same pattern holds on the Republican side, where women account for 45 percent of small-dollar contributors, but just 25 percent of donors giving $1,000 or more.

The average donation to Republican candidates by men is $106, compared to $39 from women – more than double what women give on the Republican side. Among Democrats, the gap is narrower but still significant: $87 from men versus $48 from women. 

The analysis didn’t investigate the reasons behind the disparity in political giving, but there are social and economic factors that could help explain the difference, like a pervasive gender pay gap and the fact that men are more likely to hold the highest-paying jobs. 

But the data also suggests that women donors — particularly in small-dollar programs — may be an underdeveloped source of major-gift revenue. Campaigns and consultants focused on donor cultivation and upgrade strategies might find room to grow by targeting women who are already giving at the grassroots level but haven’t been moved up the ladder.

On the Republican side especially, the magnitude of the gender gap raises questions about whether outreach and messaging strategies are effectively engaging women donors at every level of the funnel.

CAWP’s analysis found one notable anomaly in giving patterns. While the average donation to Democratic men running for Senate seats and Democratic women running for Senate seats was similar – $53 compared to $58 – Republican women Senate candidates received significantly higher donations than GOP men running for Senate seats: $113 vs. $65.