Women will fill a record number of state legislative seats across America in 2025, with the Ohio Statehouse set to add several newcomers, per research from Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics.

Why it matters: Women didn't break the highest glass ceiling in U.S. politics this year, the presidency, but the data still shows our government's gender gap is gradually narrowing.

• There's still much work to be done to achieve parity at all levels, though.

State of play: The Ohio General Assembly will add seven more women next term, the third-highest gain of any state.

• About 34% of Ohio's 132 legislative seats will be filled by women, putting the state in line with the national average.

Between the lines: The gap remains wider in other areas. Among Ohio's municipal governments with populations over 10,000, such as city councils, representation is about 29%, Rutgers' data shows.

• Representation is lowest in our state's most prominent, public-facing positions. Thirteen of our 17 U.S. House and Senate seats currently belong to men, plus all six state executive offices.

Case in point: Ohio has never had a woman U.S. senator, though that could change when Gov. Mike DeWine appoints Sen. JD Vance's replacement.

• Columbus has also never had a woman mayor.

The big picture: A record number of women will serve as governors next year, but Ohio hasn't joined that wave.

• In 221 years of state history, Ohio has had a woman governor for just 11 days — when Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister temporarily filled the role.
• Former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley lost to DeWine in the last gubernatorial election in 2022.

Groups across Ohio are working to increase representation of women in government, especially at the local level.

Zoom in: The Matriots PAC, for example, has endorsed winning candidates in over 300 races since its creation in 2017, per its website.

• The nonpartisan group says it endorses women "who share our values regardless of political party."
• It most often supports Democrats, but endorsed state Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Dublin) in 2020.

Another group, Ohio Women in Government, focuses more on professional development and policy analysis.

• President Brittany Boulton likens the nonprofit's work to building a "farm team" of future state leaders.
• Recent efforts include offering a mentorship program and fundraising for student scholarships, since state government internships are unpaid.

What they're saying: "The more women that are at the table in every level of government, the more comfort people will have, in general, accepting that as a norm," the group's vice president Julia Wynn tells Axios.

The bottom line: While the country didn't elect a woman president this year, it's "a great time to dig our heels in and continue the struggle till we get there," Boulton says.

Volunteering is on the rise across the country after COVID-era dips, a new AmeriCorps report finds.

Driving the news: About 28.3% of Americans volunteered through a formal organization at least once between September 2022-23, per the biennial report, which is based on survey data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

• That number is even higher in Ohio, where more than 30% of residents formally volunteered in that period.

By the numbers: In Ohio, over 2.8 million volunteers contributed 182 million hours of service through organizations — worth an estimated $5.7 billion in value. 

• A majority (58%) offered informal help by exchanging favors with neighbors, while 53% donated $25 or more to charity. 

Yes, but: The share of Americans who consume news and talk about social issues either in person or online has steadily decreased over the last few years, the report found.

The bottom line: Despite our increasing reluctance to talk about big issues, the findings paint a broad picture of "renewed engagement in American civic life," as AmeriCorps puts it.

To find your cause, check out local volunteering opportunities at VolunteerMatch.

🏈 OSU athletic director Ross Bjork is standing behind head coach Ryan Day after Saturday's loss to Michigan, saying Day "does a great job leading our program." (Dispatch)

• Both schools received $100,000 fines for the on-field fight after the game. (AP)

🫣 At least we're not Kent State. The Golden Flashes had one of the worst seasons in college football history, going 0-12 with a -362 point differential. (The Athletic 🔒)

👋 Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, who helmed the company as it announced a Central Ohio semiconductor plant, announced his retirement yesterday amid the company's struggles. (WOSU) 

🏛 State Sen. Bill Blessing (R-Colerain Twp.) proposes increasing the Ohio House of Representatives from 99 members to 153, and the Ohio Senate from 33 members to 51. (Statehouse News Bureau)

Yes, these are real NBA shoes featuring the cartoon world's most famous Great Dane.

Why it matters: It's always nice to see Scooby-Doo, who is canonically an Ohioan, get some love.

Zoom in: The Cleveland Cavaliers are getting more creative with their on-court shoes, but they're not alone.

• Players on the Los Angeles Clippers even have their own "sneaker organizers" inside the team locker room.

What they're saying: We asked Sam Allard, our basketball-obsessed colleague with Axios Cleveland, for his thoughts.

• "I still can't believe these NBA players are out here wearing low-tops! I don't mind the exotic colorways, but always prefer when they echo or complement the uniform."
• For example, star Donovan Mitchell's orange model (inspired by Haribo gummy bears) clashes with the normal Cavs uniform, but contrasts nicely with the powder blue City Edition jersey.