Not There Yet: Women In U.S. Politics Gaining, But Not Total Victory
More women are running for political office in the U.S. than ever.
No victory laps just yet. A new report from The Center for American Women And Politics at Rutgers University shows a disruption of the gendered view of national politics, if not quite a victory.
“ No victory laps just yet. A new report from @CAWP_RU at @RutgersU shows a disruption of the gendered view of national #politics, if not quite a victory. ”
While the 2018 midterm elections revealed that “women candidates disrupted the (White male) status quo in American politics and challenged assumptions, and they outperformed among non-incumbents at nearly every level in both primary and general elections,” the 2020 elections are still hazy on the horizon, the report states.
“Women challenged gender and intersectional biases while campaigning, proving their power in disrupting instead of adapting to the prevailing rules of the game,” according to the report.
An increase in female donors to political campaigns, and a gain in 2018 for Democratic women in office, did not overshadow the fact that women are less than one-third of elected officials in 2019. The number of Republican females in office declined.
“A gain in 2018 for #Democratic women in office did not overshadow the fact that women are less than one-third of elected officials in 2019. #WomenInPolitics”
In 2019, 127 women serve in the U.S. Congress; 25 women serve in the Senate and 102 women in the House. The number of women in statewide elective executive posts is 91, and the proportion of women in state legislatures is 28.9 percent, the Center reports.
For women of color, the numbers are less encouraging. Of the 127 women serving in the 116th U.S. Congress, 47, or 37.0%, are women of color. A Black woman, a Latina, an Asian Pacific Islander, and a Caribbean American woman serve as Delegates to the House from Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands, respectively. Women of color constitute 8.8% of the total 535 members of Congress.
“For #WOC, the numbers are less encouraging. Of the 127 women serving in the 116th U.S. Congress, 47, or 37.0%, are women of color. #MoreWomen”
Gender and intersectional biases persist in evaluations of women and women of color candidates, according to the report.
Take The Lead has the mission to achieve gender parity in leadership across all sectors—including politics—by 2025.
“@Takeleadwomen has the mission to achieve gender #parity in leadership across all sectors—including politics—by 2025. #WomenInPolitics”
According to Voice Of America, “The undermining of women in politics is not new. Stereotypes and double standards continue to exist for female politicians, says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey.”
“And it starts with things as basic and as simple as being scrutinized for their physical appearance, what they wear, how their hair looks, the way in which they speak,” Walsh tells VOA.
The pushback can escalate to harassment and threats of violence, including threats of a sexual nature, which may cost some their candidacy.
Public perceptions about the capacity for women to hold political office still offer some alarming views.
Amanda Marcotte reports in Salon: “A new study published by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that, according to recent data collected by the General Social Survey, 13% of Americans still believe that men are ‘better suited emotionally for politics than most women.’ That number is down since the 1970s, to be sure, but still shockingly high in a country where Hillary Clinton, despite losing in the Electoral College, received nearly 3 million more votes than Trump in the 2016 presidential election.”
Marcotte writes, “But digging into the numbers shows a dramatic partisan divergence on the idea of whether or not women are as fit as men to hold political office. Voters who fit the "strong Republican" profile are almost three times as likely as those who fit a "strong Democratic" profile to believe women are emotionally less suited for public office. So much so that, in 2018, around 30% of strong Republican men and more than 30% of strong Republican women agreed that women were simply not ready to be political leaders.”
Following the 2018 midterm elections and looking forward to 2020, there are signs that women candidates are deterred by loss and more so than men are.
“Following the 2018 #midterm elections and looking forward to #2020, there are signs that women candidates are more deterred by loss than men. #Parity”
Elizabeth Ralph writes in Politico, “Economist Melanie Wasserman tracked more than 11,000 candidates who ran in local California elections to see what happens when political novices win or lose. One interesting take away from her study: Women who lose elections are 50 percent less likely to try again than men who come up short.”
Yet, Ralph adds, “One thing she didn’t find is a ‘gender gap in persistence,’ as she calls it, among candidates for offices with historically high female representation — like school boards — or among more experienced candidates, meaning those who had won previous elections.”
With more than a year to go before the presidential election, how women candidates are facing the odds is shifting.
“With more than a year to go before the presidential election, how women candidates are facing the odds is shifting. #WomenInPolitics #GirlsBelongHere”
The Center reports, “Early signs from the 2020 cycle indicate that women will continue to disrupt U.S. electoral politics. Many women candidates who lost in 2018 are running again in 2020, and others are refusing to ‘wait their turn’ to run. These decisions reflect some lasting and positive effects of expanding the pool of women candidates in 2018.”
With several women running for president on the Democratic ticket, political norms continue to be upended, the report shows.
“With several women running for president on the #Democratic ticket, political norms continue to be upended, the report shows. #WomenLeaders”
“Men have had to navigate shifting gendered terrain in recent elections, with White male candidates – perhaps for the first time – being asked to address their privilege as a potential liability for their presidential bids instead of assuming that their race and gender identities provide only electoral advantages. Their experiences serve as a reminder that men play a central role, especially as they continue to outnumber women as candidates for office, in reinforcing or rejecting the status quo in American elections,” according to the report.
