5 Reasons Why 2013 Was Good for Women in Politics
By Colleen DeBaise, December 30, 2013
There's
still a gender gap when it comes to positions of power. But 2013 was
a notable year for women in politics, in the U.S. and elsewhere.
As
editors at The
Story Exchange,
we welcome such progress. When there are more females holding office,
it stands to reason we'll see more gains in women's health, education
and economic empowerment. And of course, we're all about role models.
If "Your Honor" is a woman, that sends a strong message --
especially to the younger generation -- that any ambitious dream is
possible.
Here's
a look at the past year's milestones.
1.
More women head to Capitol Hill and City Hall.
The
113th Congress kicked off in January with a record number of women in
the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives -- 98 female members out
of 535 members (although, more dismally, that's still only 18.3% of
Congress, according
to the National Women's Political Caucus).
This past Election Day, female
mayors were elected or re-elected in
a number of cities, including three in upstate New York (Albany,
Syracuse and Rochester) and Houston, Minneapolis and Dayton, Ohio.
Next year should be a good one to watch: Emily's List, a group that
supports pro-choice Democratic female candidates, recently
endorsed Heather R. Mizeur for
Maryland governor in 2014. She'd be the first elected openly gay
governor and the state's first female one (and she's a business owner
to boot.)
2.
Clinton versus Warren?
Unlike
47 other countries,
the U.S. has never had a female head of state... which is why a
Democratic-nominee showdown between Hillary Clinton, the former first
lady, senator and secretary of state, and Elizabeth Warren, the
senator and former Harvard professor, would be rather epic. The
scenario became widespread
speculation in 2013,
although Warren's camp has pledged she will not seek the White House.
One thing's for certain: There'd be much less fuss over these two
powerful ladies if
more women ran for public office.
But we look forward to more Clinton-Warren buzz in the new year.
3.
Hail to the Fed Chief.
Speaking
of powerful ladies, Janet Yellen is poised to become the first woman
to run the Federal Reserve in the central bank's 100-year history.
What's particularly sweet is that she won the nomination after
Lawrence Summers -- the
same guy who made remarks about women's aptitudes in math and
science, while he was Harvard's president --
dropped out. Now she'll just need to get the country's financial
house in order. We wish her luck.
4. Wendy Davis's filibuster.
First
she became a household name in June for speaking for nearly 11 hours
(while wearing pink sneakers) to run out the clock on a bill that
would have shut down abortion clinics in the Lone Star State. ("It
was an amazing moment for democracy in Texas," she told Anderson
Cooper in this
video.)
Now, Davis is running for governor of Texas. Many say she's given
voice to women and highlighted governmental intrusion into
reproductive rights. This much is clear: She brings new meaning to
the phrase "stand up and fight."
5.
Women take over in South America.
Nothing
like Latin America, home
to machismo,
for putting the rest of the world to shame when it comes to female
empowerment. The year ended with Michelle Bachelet defeating Evelyn
Matthei (that's right -- both candidates were women) in Chile's
presidential race. Meanwhile, over in Brazil, Dilma Rousseff is
serving as president while in Argentina, Cristina Fernández de
Kirchner is in her second term as that country's leader. There
have been similar gains for women in Central America and the
Caribbean. Need some inspiration? Look South.
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