Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment!
In this week’s Weekend Reading, we’ll recap the DNC; take a closer look at the 2024 Gender Parity Index specifically in Michigan; analyze the results of the Alaska RCV primary election for Congress and last month’s Rwanda parliamentary elections; and advocate for the importance of integrating a gender lens into all areas of philanthropy.
DNC Recap: On the Ground in Chicago
What a fantastic few days at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago! I, along with communications director Ashley Thurston, state partnerships manager Tamaya Dennard, and outreach manager Alissa Bombadier Shaw, got to witness history and see Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accept the nominations for president and vice president.
From the creative roll call vote process for states, to seeing elected officials from across the country speak to connecting with other organizations committed to building a representative democracy, it was an energizing and empowering experience.
On Tuesday we hosted Women Are the Winning Strategy: Solutions from the States, alongside some of our fantastic partner organizations Vote, Run, Lead and Better Elections for Illinois.
We were also joined by Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Toulouse Oliver, Illinois state Sen. Karina Villa, Illinois state Sen. Laura Murphy, Tennessee state Sen. London Lamar, Wisconsin state Sen. Kelda Roys, New York City Council member Amanda Farias, Maine Democratic Party chair Bev Uhlenhake, former New York City council member Marjorie Velazquez and advocates Maya Harris, Celinda Lake, Patricia Torres Ray, Heidi Sieck and Rhonda Briggins.
This event celebrated women’s wins and uplifted incredible stories of women creating a healthier and inclusive democracy. Thank you to everyone who joined us.
The RepresentWomen team spent time at our table in the Dempalooza Hall, attending caucus meetings, and connecting with individuals and organizations who are committed to advancing democracy. Thank you to my incredible team for joining me during an exciting few days.
Over the course of the week. we had the chance to talk with dozens of members of Congress and many allies about our work on systems strategies to advance women’s representation and leadership. It was a great opportunity to connect and talk about ranked-choice voting in particular. I also had the chance to meet Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, at an incredible event hosted by the Electing Women Alliance.
Gender Parity in U.S. Politics Stalls: Women Still Underrepresented Despite Notable Milestones
While women have made significant strides in U.S. politics, including Vice President Kamala Harris‘ historic campaign, progress toward gender parity remains uneven. Our 2024 Gender Parity Index (which was featured in the 19th this week) highlights the room for progress the U.S. has to reach gender balance in government.
Mariel Padilla from the 19th reports:
Women continue to make record-breaking progress in politics — most notably with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first woman of color at the top of a major party presidential ticket. However, an annual report by RepresentWomen, a nonprofit organization that supports institutional reforms to help women enter public office, found that progress has been inconsistent…
“The 2024 Index reflects our complex political landscape, suggesting progress in women’s political representation may stagnate or even backslide,” according to the report.
Overall, the United States lags behind most established democracies. Women are still underrepresented at every level of government, holding under one-third of all elected positions despite accounting for more than 50 percent of the total national population. In the last year, the number of women congressional candidates has fallen by 20 percent in the House and 26 percent in the Senate. And a record number of incumbent women are not running for reelection.
Michigan Ranks Third in U.S. for Gender Parity in Elected Office, Edging Closer to Full Parity in 2024 Gender Parity Index
Michigan ranks third in the U.S. for gender parity in elected office in our 2024 Gender Parity Index with a score of 49.5 out of 100. While Wisconsin and Maine have achieved gender parity, Michigan is on the brink, having consistently remained in the top ten states since 2013.
Anna Liz Nichols from Michigan Advance writes:
The state rankings are based on how many women serve or have recently served in state executive offices, state legislatures, in the U.S. House and Senate and in mayoral and county executive roles.
According to RepresentWomen, representation of women in Michigan’s state legislature has increased from 11% in 1984 to 40% currently.
It’s been just over 100 years since the first woman was elected to Michigan’s legislature and there’s still much to be done before more women can enter the arena and be able to stay, several elected officials told Michigan Advance earlier this year when newsrooms across States Newsroom examined the “mom gap” in state legislatures.
Currently, six of Michigan’s 13 members of congress are women and half of Michigan’s Senate team, Debbie Stabenow, Michigan’s first and only female U.S. Senator, is not seeking re-election this year.
In 2013, the Gender Parity Index’s inaugural report, 40 states ranked less than 25 out of 100 for gender parity and that number is down to 26 states.
But progress has to be sustained achieve parity, the Gender Parity Index report says. Between 2023 and 2024, Michigan has not changed in its 3rd place state ranking or its 49.5 score.
Integrating a Gender Lens in Philanthropy: A Critical Strategy for Maximizing Social Impact
The importance of integrating a gender lens into all areas of philanthropy cannot be understated. Gender impacts every social issue society faces. Funders who fail to consider gender in their philanthropic pursuits may miss opportunities to enhance their impact.
Nidhi Sahni, Elizabeth Bibb Binder, Deborah Bielak, Maddie Holland, and Riti Mohapatra from the Bridgespan Group write:
To achieve equitable and lasting change, we must pay attention to the on-the-ground realities of how society works—realities that are shaped profoundly by gender. That gendered reality leads to differences in life experiences and outcomes across gender lines—on nearly every issue society faces. And gender inequity is compounded, dramatically, when it intersects with racism, casteism, and other systems of discrimination.
Peltola, Begich, Dahlstrom Advance to Ranked-Choice November Election in Alaska U.S. House Races
This year, Alaska ranked 15th and received a C on the 2024 Gender Parity Index! The state approved RankedChoice Voting and open primaries during the 2020 election cycle. Mary Peltola has served as Representative since 2022–- she is the first woman to represent Alaska in the House of Representatives and the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress in 2022. Expanding the use of RCV is just one way to ensure more women get elected up and down the ballot.
Becky Bohrer from the Associated Press writes:
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola on Tuesday advanced to November’s ranked choice general election for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat, along with Republicans Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom.
The three were the most prominent candidates in a field of 12 running for the seat in Alaska’s primary. Under Alaska’s open primary system, voters were asked to pick one candidate, with the top four vote-getters in the race, regardless of party affiliation, advancing to the ranked choice general election.
In early results, Peltola led in the vote count, followed by Begich and then Dahlstrom. It was too early to call who the fourth candidate would be.
July’s Parliamentary Elections Reaffirm Rwanda as a Global Leader in Women’s Representation
With the most recent election in July, Rwanda has remained a leader in women’s representation. In 2003 and 2015, Rwanda revised its constitution to include a mandate that women must make up 30 percent of decision-making political positions made to their voting systems and created multiple women-centered government agencies. But despite these advances toward gender parity, Rwanda continues to rank low on Freedom House’srankings. If Rwanda continues building a truly representative government, more must be done to support political and civil liberties.
RepresentWomen’s international research manager Fatma Tawfik writes:
On July 15, 2024, over eight million Rwandan voters went to the polls to elect the country’s next president and parliament. The presidential election candidates included one woman, Diane Shima Rwigara, out of nine candidates, but the country ultimately reelected Paul Kagame to a fourth term.
Nevertheless, women fared well in parliamentary elections. Over 200 women candidates ran for 80 parliamentary seats: 51 women won seats, making the House of Deputies a women-majority chamber with nearly 64% women MPs.
These results are no surprise– women running for political office has become a norm in Rwanda, largely due to the consistent enforcement of a 30% reserved seat gender quota. But, progress in Rwanda has resulted from more than the mandate. Rwanda achieved double the percentage set by the quota due to the collective political will and acknowledgment of women’s critical role in decision-making bodies from political parties, government, organizations, and citizens.
ICYMI: Assembly Required Podcast
I was honored to have the chance to speak with legendary democracy leader Stacey Abrams on the inaugural episode of her new podcast #Assembly Required about the national popular vote and ranked-choice voting—here is a link to the conversation.
Which State Had the Best Roll Call Song at the Democratic Convention?
I loved seeing the creativity for the roll call vote at the convention on Tuesday night. Each state and territory could pick a song to play before announcing their delegation’s votes for President and Vice President. Most of the choices had a special connection to the state they represented.
Which state do you think made the best song choice?
Up next:
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