Women In Congress

Since the early 20th Century, women have come a long way in terms of gaining rights, and making headway in positions of government. Women winning the right to vote in the 20th Century has led to more and more women not only making our voices heard in elections, but also becoming standout candidates at the local, state and federal levels of government. Currently, in the 113th Congress there are twenty women in the Senate and seventy-nine women in the House of Representatives. Altogether these women make up approximately, 20% of the total Congressional seats. While much progress has been made, women still have a long way to go before there is gender parity within the U.S. Congress.

According to research from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is will take, approximately, another 100 years before we see an equitable amount of women and men in Congress. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that still stand in women’s way when it comes to rising up the political ranks. Many women who seek political office lack mentors or people who are willing to step out and guide these women to have successful careers. Furthermore, sponsors are more likely to get behind male candidates than women candidates. In politics, it is most often the person with the most money who is going to win the votes. There are also many who believe women just do not seek out political careers. In some cases, this might be true, but there are plenty of women who have political ambitions. I am betting if resources were equitable for women candidates, there would be more women in Congress.

Within the last few years, if you pay attention to politics, you may have seen a few women making their voices heard. Most notably, Elizabeth Warren and Wendy Davis. Warren, formerly a bankruptcy professor at Harvard University rose to prominence in her fight against big commercial and investment banks after the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Warren currently serves as one of the two Senators for the state of Massachusetts. Wendy Davis, is a Texas state senator, and ran an unsuccessful bid for governor. However, Davis’ campaign did make national headlines as she fought to protect women’s right to choose and other matters. Davis is still heavily courting the female vote in her state for her next political campaign. Women are making progress, but it will take time and more support from mentors, current political leaders, and the public to ensure equity at the federal, state, and local government levels.



Congressional count: http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/fast_facts/levels_of_office/Congress-Current.php

IWPR Stats: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/women-in-congress-gender-parity_n_5515701.html


Cutie Off Duty Cutie Off Duty - "Never a rest from being the best!"
Email: cutie@thecutiechronicles.com or cutie@bigbadradio.com
Websites: www.CutieOffDuty.com || www.TheCutieChronicles.com
Twitter: @CutieOffDuty
Instagram: @CutieOffDuty

Comments are closed.