Female Representation in the United States' Government
Jeannette Rankin shortly after her historic election to Congress in 1916, marking her the first women to serve in the United States Congress.
|
Women didn't get the vote until 1920. After fighting for suffrage, and finally obtaining it, it seemed as though women had the opportunity to be equal in government. This, however, proved false. In the progressive era, it became evident that the right to vote did not correlate to equal representation in government. The first woman elected to congress was Jeannette Rankin of Montana in 1916. Elected before women could vote, Rankin served as an avid suffragist in Congress, fighting for women to have equal voting rights. Her voice was muted, however, as she was dominated by a male majority; Ranking was restricted to areas of government such as health, welfare, and education. After Rankin, female representation in politics remained scarce, so women turned to social activism in order to have a say in government.
Focusing on areas of public health and safety, child labor, and women’s working rights, early female activists used unions and joint social activism as their say in government before they even had the right to vote. An early example of this was the creation of settlement houses. In 1889m Jane Addams founded the Hull House in Chicago, the first settlement house of its kind. Following the principle of the Hull House, middle class, educated women would undertake reform work in neighborhoods. This allowed for women to live in a female dominated environment, free to make a change without male familial pressures. Settlement house workers often negotiated with municipal and state governments to fund, support, and eventually take responsibility for programs they started. Women lobbied to pass reform legislation on social issues such as minimum wage laws, workplace safety standards, and sanitation regulations. Although few women directly held an official position in government, early social activists influence on local and state governments furthered critical strides for social reform. Through persistence and adaptability, women were successful in creating change. |
In 2017, a hundred years later from the first election of woman congressman, women are still scarce in higher levels of government, such as Congress. In turning to Congress as an example, women make up approximately 51% of the U.S. population, but only account for about 19% of the current 115th U.S. Congress. That puts the United States 97th out of 193 countries for female parliamentary representation. This congress, however, does mark a forward stride for women with the representation of women of color; although it is only 7% of congress, a record total of 38 women of color serve in the 115th Congress. Out numbered 5-3, the judicial branch is another section of government where women are the minority as only three of the nine supreme court justices are women.
Politics has adapted to be a culture of a boys club. When female politicians try to break into government, their lives are scrutinized and questioned with topics surrounding motherhood or fitness for the job. The biggest recent effort to increase female representation in government was the political race of Hillary Clinton for president. Clinton faced many of the difficult burden on women in government, including having her gender called into question in relation to her fitness for the job. Although she did not win the presidency, she was the first female candidate of the Democratic or Republican Party to move past the primary election. Her race marks a new era for women in politics.
When in government, women are still limited to “soft industries”, such as health, education, and welfare, which were established in the progressive era. Women rarely hold positions such as military or finance, since they are considered “masculine” and better suited for men. Similarly to the progressive era, women are also restricted to low level positions such as local government. With the progress made from the election of Jeannette Rankin to now, it will take nearly 500 years for women to reach equality in government. This statistic should inform politicians and society as a whole that a fight for female representation in government cannot and should not dwindle. On the contrary, it needs to be emphasized even more to make larger strides towards gender representational equality in government.
Politics has adapted to be a culture of a boys club. When female politicians try to break into government, their lives are scrutinized and questioned with topics surrounding motherhood or fitness for the job. The biggest recent effort to increase female representation in government was the political race of Hillary Clinton for president. Clinton faced many of the difficult burden on women in government, including having her gender called into question in relation to her fitness for the job. Although she did not win the presidency, she was the first female candidate of the Democratic or Republican Party to move past the primary election. Her race marks a new era for women in politics.
When in government, women are still limited to “soft industries”, such as health, education, and welfare, which were established in the progressive era. Women rarely hold positions such as military or finance, since they are considered “masculine” and better suited for men. Similarly to the progressive era, women are also restricted to low level positions such as local government. With the progress made from the election of Jeannette Rankin to now, it will take nearly 500 years for women to reach equality in government. This statistic should inform politicians and society as a whole that a fight for female representation in government cannot and should not dwindle. On the contrary, it needs to be emphasized even more to make larger strides towards gender representational equality in government.