Underrepresentation of Women in Politics Women currently hold 19.3 percent of seats in the House of Representatives and 21.0 percent in the Senate. Over the past decade, these percentages have barely increased. Brechenmacher is a member of the AA. Without enough women holding positions in politics, the U.S. is missing out on varied perspectives from diverse groups.Women can bring different views to the political space and use their experiences to allow for better judgment. They have gone through things that men have not and can speak on things that men will not understand. This is crucial considering the population of the U.S. is not just made up of men, but women, too. The women of the U.S. deserve to have people representing and speaking …show more content…
This makes it significantly harder for women to get roles in politics. It forces women to have to prove themselves more than men have to. The author of the article, The Double Standards of Being a Woman in Politics, Marielle DeVos, is a policy director who researched how double standards affect the number of women in politics. DeVos gave an example of how likability is one of the double standards affecting underrepresentation of women in politics. DeVos states, “The concept of "likability" can make or break a woman's career in politics, while for men, likability is a bonus, not a necessity. However, if women are not assertive or ambitious, they aren't taken seriously.” When a woman is not liked by society, people will refuse to vote for her because they do not like her character and personality. While a man is not liked by society, his personality gets overlooked. Its not a deal-breaker when a man is not liked as it is for a woman. The imbalance makes it difficult for women to follow. Double standards play a huge role in why women are underrepresented. Men aren’t held to the same expectations as women, which makes it harder for a woman to get a job over a
“Women Rights” Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-recognized woman in the United States. Her great contribution as secretary of State impact people’s lives. One of many remarkable speeches Hillary gave was the “The women rights speech”, in the 4th World Conference on Women Plenary Session where she uses strong words and emotions to appeal the audience. Even though the speech talks about women rights, she wants everyone, including men and children to listen and take action. Her use of ethos, logos and pathos throughout the speech made the audience believe in her words.
The initial effects of women’s suffrage on the national level was limited. To a great extent it remains limited; women have always been underrepresented at the federal level. In the first election after the 19th Amendment, 25 states failed to elect a woman, (Rothschild, p. 11). Currently, 26 states do not have a women in their congressional delegation, (Gendergap, p.1). There are also six states that have never elected a woman to federal office, (Rothschild, p.2). They are Alaska, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Mississippi. While women represent 52 percent of the population, they represent only 21 percent in Congress. Thus it can be seen that women still have steps to take to achieve true political equality with men.
The women of the state of Arizona have always played a significant role in politics. Before most women even had the right to vote, two women from Arizona, Frances Munds and Rachel Berry, were the first women elected into the state legislature. Today, Arizona has the highest percentage of women in the state legislature. More impressive is the fact that Arizona is the first state ever to have an all-female elected line of succession. There is no doubt that these five women greatly contributed to making 1997 the "Year of the Woman," where there was a dramatic increase in women's representation in the House and Senate. Why women in Arizona have flourished in the political arena and continue to do so is a question our group will try to answer in our research. More specifically, I will discuss women in current Arizona politics. In reviewing the role of women in current politics today, I will discuss the reasons as to why women have such strong political power in the state of Arizona, and the difference, between the views of voters in Arizona and other states. I will also discuss not only the future of women in Arizona politics but the future of women in national politics as well, and what to expect as the new millenium approaches.
On November 1912, women won the right to vote in Arizona. This period of time marked a lot of changes for women and politics in Arizona. Women had to struggle against a male dominated society that influenced their vote despite their new freedom to vote as they saw fit. The right to vote eventually led to a proliferation of women running for local, state, and national offices. Those running for office faced skepticism about their capabilities as a politician, concern over whether they had the drive, intelligence, and strength to face down opponents within the political arena. Despite these obstacles, women have proven to be successful politicians and have infiltrated the ranks of male dominated government systems, both within states and nationwide. Today, women are virtually equal to men as far as their capabilities are concerned, yet are still under-represented in the national political scene. By reviewing a brief history of a few women in politics in Arizona and examining current political themes, a platform is formed that allows an understanding and recognition of the struggles and progression of women in politics today.
The American Government was designed to represent the people who are voting members of society. When analyzing the makeup of government, one could find that women have become an integral part to American politics. With the rise of female politicians, minority female political leaders still tend to come in low numbers. One could argue that the inclusion of minority females in politics is solely up to women. The responsibility of representing the American population as a whole should not be solely placed on one designated person or group but rather a collective effort of all. Minority females are typically seen at the negative end of statistics rather it is in education, health care, employment and the economy.
However, the female participation in politics is a staggeringly low number, thus in the Global Gender Gap report of 2016, it ranked Canada 35 out of 144 countries (Forum,2016). Having Canadian women more involved in politics ensures that different perspectives and opinions are represented where it matters the most, in the government that organizes and creates all the legislations. Policies such as abortion rights should not be determined by men, but by women who can relate to or understand the grounds of the rights. The barriers that women face can easily be diminished with effort. The media can do its part and treat female politicians like they treat their male counterparts, based on their proposed policies and not by what they may be wearing at the time. Families and society itself need to drop the “traditional family” model and realize that modern families share responsibilities so that both parents can strive in their respected careers. Lastly women themselves need to be reminded that if they have the right qualifications, they could go as far as they want, specifically in politics. By becoming a politician, they could still be a good wife and/or mother, but their self-perception needs to be improved by those around them who need to encourage them. Female politicians would be beneficial for everyone in a community, as the standard of who can lead a country changes and people realize that women are capable and qualified as
Before the 1920s men and women were thought to have two separate roles in life. People believed women should be concerned with their children, home, and religion, while men took care of business and politics. In 1920 there were significant changes for women in politics, the home, and the workplace. When the 19th amendment passed it gave women the right to vote. “Though slowly to use their newly won voting rights, by the end of the decade women were represented local, state, and national political committees and were influencing the political agenda of the federal government.” Now a days it’s normal for women to be involved in politics and it’s normal for women to vote. Another drastic change
These movements adopted similar strategies to fight for their rights, demonstrating the enduring legacy of the suffrage movement. Despite these advances and protests, women continued to face challenges in achieving full political and economic equality. The lack of representation of women in major political offices and top business leadership positions is still seen; into the 21st century, we can see ongoing disparities that need to be addressed (Document 6a). However, the foundation laid by the suffrage movement provided a critical framework for continued efforts towards gender equality and it has still improved a lot from back
The underrepresentation of female’s interests and values is a global phenomenon as there is no country where women are equally represented on all levels of government. Since most women in the Western World gained the right to vote, there is no area of human life or development sector which is immune from the impact of inequitable gender relations. The central thesis of this paper is that women’s underrepresentation in elected office creates serious problems. This paper begins by analysing the key barriers of women to get into politics, especially into leading positions. It will then go on to the argument that women have special interests and needs, and that male politicians cannot represent those concerns adequately. Additionally, this paper describes further problems in today’s political world, such as women’s identification with
Ernst, Julia L. "The Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues: An Inside Perspective on Lawmaking by and for Women." Michigan Journal of Gender & Law, 12.2 (2006): 189-274.
One major factor in why women did not reach equality in America in the past century was their underrepresentation in local, state, and federal politics. Between 1917, when Jeanette Rankin became the first woman to serve in the United States Congress, and 2000, only 219 women have been elected as US representatives or senators. Of these, only 28 have been women of color. In contrast, in the 20th century over a thousand men served in Congress, and 132 men of color. In the 106th United States Congress (which met from 1999-2001) only 58 of the 535 legislators were women, and only 18 were women of color. As a result, laws that benefitted women faced heavy opposition before they could be passed. In addition, women made up the minority of Supreme Court justices and presidential cabinet members at every point in the 20th century, and of the 15 presidents...
Women of power are treated very poorly. These women of power include politicians, doctors, lawyers and businesswomen. Arguably, female politicians receive the worst treatment of all. Everything they do is constantly under media scrutiny, like what they wear and what they say, much more so than their male counterparts. The difference in the number of men and women congress members is vast, almost 5 to 1. Many women shy away from the political light for these reasons. An article, “Women in Politics”, written by Kenneth Jost, he explains the feats of women in the past 100 years:
About eight decades ago, the United States Constitution granted American women the right to vote. During the same era, only men ran for office and decided what is best for American citizens. Many females in the world today are becoming politicians. Today, many women will consider running for local offices in their communities. The “Women Rights” article states “women were excluded from the electoral process for more than 140 years”. The “Women Rights” article also states that women did not have the opportunity to attend college. Women in their communities are considering running for president, commissioner, secretary, etc. American citizens will decide who should hold office. The three reasons why I believe women should consider politics are
Basically, this causes doubt. Now while there is still people who would vote for a women to run for president as an example, the people who have that high doubt, will do anything in all means to push the women down just to prove their point. Women must be stronger and build up their motivation, especially if we want women to be more represented. It is time to step up and take the lead once
The topic of politics has been a common topic recently. When people are in a conversation about politics, many people come to the conclusion that women shouldn’t be running or aren’t cut out for that job. Women being in Congress is apparently a bizarre idea for some people, but women actually aren’t more emotional than men, aren’t less aware of current situations, and aren’t going to be voted ‘just because they’re a woman’. Although some media sources might still believe that women aren’t supposed to be politicians or presidential candidates, women are just as capable to be legislators, which makes this claim illogical.