These 21 Women Are Making History In The U.S. Senate

The coming year is going to be a big one for women in the U.S. Senate.

Thanks to a number of important victories this November, there will be a record 21 female senators serving in the upper house in 2017.

And that's not the only way women are making history in the U.S. Capitol. The incoming Senate will also seat a record number of women of color.

While many are applauding these milestones, there's still a lot of work to do. The overall number of women serving in both branches of Congress will remain stagnant next year at 104. And the United States still ranks 99th out of 193 countries when comparing countries by the number of women represented in Parliament, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Having more female representation in all levels of government could make a big difference for everyone. As a study by The National Democratic Institute (NDI) found, female leadership is "strongly linked to positive developments in education, infrastructure, and health standards at the local level."

Ahead, meet the women who will represent you in the U.S. Senate.