19 Percent of Congress is Women. Why not Half?

Lake Research also conducted a survey on behalf of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, which advocates for women in politics, looking at other more subtle bias against female candidates. This research found that many people will say that they would vote for a “qualified” woman for office, and that their standards for what makes a woman “qualified”—that they appear knowledgeable, confident, and organized—are often tougher than they are for men. “Voters really believe that yes, it’s harder for a woman to prove she’s qualified than a guy,” said Adrienne Kimmell, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation. “Voters have higher barriers.”

FILM: Women’s Voices: The Gender Gap

Source: Mother Jones

There Was a War on Women, and the Women Won

There’s no doubt about it: The big winners of last night’s election were women. And not just because we’re the majority of voters and most politicians crawl over each other to appeal to us. Last night, when Tammy Baldwin won her race in Wisconsin, it meant a record number of women would be going on to serve in the Senate come January. Other new female faces joining the Senate are Deb Fischer, Mazie Hirono, Elizabeth Warren, and likely Heidi Heitkamp, though right now it looks like her victory in North Dakota might have to wait until after a recount. All of the new women, except for Nebraska’s Fischer, are Democrats. If Heitkamp wins in North Dakota, it will bring the number of women in the Senate from 17 (with two female Republicans retiring) to 20. In the past 15 years, this number has more than doubled.

READ MORE

FILM: Women’s Voices: The Gender Gap