Despite the media’s frenzied proclamations about 2010 being the “Year of the Republican Woman,” it turns out the number of women in Congress may actually decline in November. Obviously, women are half the country’s population; however, women hold only 17 percent of seats in Congress currently.
Groups like the Women’s Campaign Forum have said that having fewer women in office is bad for the country, while other groups like the Independent Women’s Forum (disclosure: I’m a senior fellow there) have said that lower numbers of women in office is not a huge deal because they would rather be represented by men with whom they agree than women with whom they disagree.
I’ll stay out of that debate, but feel another point merits attention: how far would we be willing to go for equal representation? Quota systems, as seen in India, Rwanda, and a number of other countries? Term limits, since incumbency (Congress’ 83% men, for example) is one of the major barriers that women (and all challengers!) face? Or just letting things shake out for themselves?
Traditionally, the United States has been opposed to quota systems in general; in fact, there’s been a backlash in recent years against affirmative action. And while term limits poll well – in a September 2010 Fox News poll, 78 percent favored them for Congress – the Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that states could not impose term limits upon their federal Representatives or Senators.
The situation may be starting to look up; according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, a record number of women ran for the House and Senate this year, and although most of them lost their primaries, it’s an encouraging sign.
It’s important to note that those who did make it to the general election – including Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, and Carly Fiorina – are a far cry from the women currently serving in Congress. Obviously, their views on the economy, government spending, taxes, the role of the state, health care, and education are diametrically opposed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s – but they’re also a lot farther to the right than women of their own parties like Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Sen. Olympia Snowe. Should these ladies win their respective races, it’s certain that the tenor of proposed legislation will shift dramatically (it’s in the eye of the beholder whether that’s to the benefit of, or detriment to, American women).
Clearly, aspiring female politicians still face an uphill battle. How we go about addressing this inequity, however, may be just as important as the outcome.
