http://www.9news.com/story/news/politics/2014/10/08/colorado-women-in-politics/16947751/
This NBC Colorado news segment notes that this upcoming election could mark the first time that Congress has been only 20% women. The video cites that since women won the vote in 1920 to today, women still account for half the population, but continue to be extremely underrepresented in politics. Interestingly, the Colorado State Legislature has the highest percentage of women representatives of any state (way to go, Colorado!).
The segment suggests that the answer to the question, "Why aren't there more women in politics?" has to do with the difficulty of women getting funding for their campaigns, breaking into the ol' boys networks, and the general perception that women aren't cut out for these political roles.
What do you think? Is it enough that we have a few women in high-power roles in Congress (such as Nancy Pelosi), or do we need more women even if they do serve in less powerful roles?
(P.S. The article says that our generation is important in making the shift to having more women into politics!)
I think that 18.5% of Congress seats held bye women is far to low. As Rep. Degette (my Representative!) mentions in the clip, at this rate it will be 500 years until it is equal.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in organizations helping more women get elected, Emily's List is devoted to helping pro-choice women hold public seats. I think that Emily's List's vision of balancing the voice of power through more women elected at all levels of government is something that everyone, men and women, should aspire to.
http://www.emilyslist.org/pages/entry/our-mission
Like Michelle, I find the low numbers of women in Congress appalling. Compared to the state of women's rights abroad, the US is often hailed for its treatment of women. The irony of course is that many developing countries have double or triple the number (as a percent) of women in their legislative bodies as the US does.
ReplyDeleteHere's another article on the subject that people might be interested in:
http://www.thenation.com/article/178736/why-does-us-still-have-so-few-women-office#