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 explore the origins of Labor Day, recap our event with Vote Run Lead and Better Elections for Ilinois in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, explore Ghana’s new gender equity legislation, examine the number of women presidents and prime ministers over six decades, and celebrate the 2024 Paris Paralympic games!
Women Are Integral to the Labor Movement
For many of us, Monday was Labor Day, marking the unofficial end of summer. The holiday’s origins are much more than a simple day off. Established as a holiday in 1894, it honors the contributions of activists who united in pursuing economic opportunity and worker protection.
Women have been integral to the American labor movement since the Industrial Revolution. The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) was one of the most prominent labor unions during the early 1900s, representing thousands of women garment workers who fought for fair pay and better working hours. Support for the union surged after the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, which claimed the lives of 146 people, many of them women and girls trapped on the ninth floor.
This tragedy profoundly affected eyewitness Frances Perkins, inspiring her lifelong dedication to preventing such tragedies. She rose to national prominence as FDR’s Secretary of Labor, becoming the first woman appointed to a presidential cabinet. Her legacy includes spearheading the Civilian Conservation Corps during the New Deal, advocating for a national minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, the Social Security Act, and many other protections we receive today.
Women’s vital role in the labor movement has continued into the present day, with leaders like Ai-Jen Poo heading the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Randi Weingarten leading the American Federation of Teachers, and Liz Shuler serving as the first female president of the AFL-CIO. As we enjoy the Monday holiday, let’s take a moment to honor women’s vital role in shaping labor rights and protections.
Counting the Number of Women Presidents and Prime Ministers Since 1960
If you were born before 1960, you lived in a world without a single female president or prime minister. Since then, 174 women have led 87 countries, including Mexico, where Claudia Sheinbaum made history earlier this year. Notably, more women are elected to higher office in countries with parliamentary systems—and proportional representation—than those with presidential systems.
Sammy Westfall and Dylan Moriarty of the Washington Post write:
Since 2020, only two countries (Honduras and Mexico) with presidential systems have elected a woman head of state, compared to seven women elected in semi-presidential systems, where a president and prime minister share executive power. In parliamentary and semi-presidential systems, 27 women were elected or appointed head of government since 2020, noted Julie Ballington, policy adviser on political participation for UN Women, a U.N. organization focused on gender equality and women empowerment that tracks global data on women’s leadership.
In a parliamentary system, women can rise through the ranks of their parties — chief executives are chosen by the majority party or coalition members. In contrast, presidential systems go head-to-head at the top of the ticket, which exacerbates the barriers — structural ones, and those rooted in bias and stereotypes — that make it difficult for women to rise in power, she noted.
RepresentWomen’s Gathering Sparks Renewed Commitment to Gender Parity in Politics
Kristina Becvar‘s insightful article on our “Women are the Winning Strategy: Solutions from the States” event in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention highlights women’s pivotal role in shaping politics. Featuring powerful speakers, including Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, Amanda Farias and Maya Harris, the event sparked a surge of hope for gender equality in political leadership.
The event was not just a celebration of women’s achievements in politics; it was a call to action for gender parity in elected representation and continued advocacy at all levels of governance.
A central theme of the event was the empowerment of women through increased representation and leadership opportunities. The speakers underscored the necessity of diversity in political offices, arguing that a government reflective of its populace is better equipped to address varied societal needs. This message resonated with attendees, many of whom expressed a renewed commitment to pursuing political roles.
Beyond inspiration, the event offered practical and straightforward “asks.” First, to engage in conversation with friends, family, and colleagues about the importance of supporting qualified women candidates such as Kamala Harris, who has the potential to break the glass ceiling in national politics.
Five Ranked-Choice Voting Ballot Measures for 2024
With the 2024 elections swiftly approaching, voters in five states and localities will encounter another question on their ballots: whether to implement ranked-choice voting (RCV) for electing their representatives. Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington, D.C., all have ballot measures proposing this change. Our research has highlighted several benefits of ranked-choice voting, including its role in mitigating barriers for women in politics.
Micheal Falero discusses on NPR’s 1a:
The system is known broadly as ranked choice voting. There are different flavors of it. In some cases, it’s called “instant runoff voting” or “final five voting.”
In all cases, they describe a way of electing candidates that’s different from what most Americans are used to. As a voter, you get to rank your preferred candidates. So, you don’t just choose one name. You may have a first, second, and third preference for who represents you.
When voting is over, a process of elimination takes place. The lowest vote-getter in the first round is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to higher vote-getters, according to how voters ranked the other candidates. The process continues until you end up with a winner. Ranked choice voting systems are already in place for some races in Alaska, Maine, and cities like Minneapolis and New York City.
Ghana’s New Gender Equality Bill Is A Milestone in Women’s Political Representation, But Faces Implementation Challenges
Ghana’s recently passed Gender Equality Bill represents a significant advancement in promoting gender equality and improving political representation for women. Ghana’s new Gender Equality Bill, recently passed by Parliament, marks an important step toward enhancing gender equality and political representation for women in the country. However, its success hinges on its effective implementation, which requires strong enforcement mechanisms and sustained advocacy from civil society organizations.
Dr. Ernest Mensah Akuamoah and Baffour Agyeman Prempeh Boakye from the Australian Institute of International Affairs write:
On 30 July, Ghana’s parliament passed the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill, ending a process that began in 1998. Despite women constituting the majority of Ghana’s population, they hold less than 15 percent of parliamentary seats and remain underrepresented in managerial roles, even though they represent a majority in the service sector. The passage of the bill represents remarkable progress towards enhancing gender equality and inclusivity in the country and thus rightfully deserves all the attention it has garnered…
While many civil society organizations (CSOs) and women groups deserve praise for their vigorous advocacy for the passage of the bill, the true challenge lies in ensuring that the bill delivers meaningful change once enacted. These groups must elevate the discourse beyond descriptive representation to substantive representation, emphasising concrete improvements in women’s status and well-being.
Increased women’s representation in government is expected to lead to policies that address women’s challenges, aligning with constitutional and international mandates or a more inclusive society. Emerging research shows that women’s empowerment improves policy representation, economic growth, and health outcomes. However, some studies warn that women’s representation may be used as “window-dressing” to attract voters or appear progressive to the international community. As Ghana advances its Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill, there is broad hope that the proposed “Gender Equality Committee” will effectively ensure compliance with the act.
We hope that once the Bill becomes law, it will not be merely symbolic or “a law without teeth” but rather one that effectively enforces change and “bites” with real impact.
The Quest for Gender Parity in the 2024 Paris Paralympics
The 2024 Paralympic Games began in Paris on Wednesday, Aug. 28! Unlike the traditional Olympics, women have always been allowed to participate in the Paralympics. This year, a record 45 percent of the total competitors are women. Some sports, like Paracanoe, have reached gender parity in the 2024 games. However, there is still a way to go before gender parity is reached in the Paralympics.
Loïc Padovani of the International Paralympic Committee writes:
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are taking women’s sport into a new dimension! Among the 4,400 athletes competing in 22 sports, there will be 1,983 women competing in the French capital. By way of comparison, this represents 45% of the total number of competitors, beating the previous record set at Tokyo 2020 (42% with 1,846 women out of 4,393 athletes). This is more than double the number at Sydney 2000 (when 988 female athletes came to Australia).
Over and above the percentage, women will be taking part in 235 of the 549 medal events on the program. That’s eight more than in Tokyo 2020.
Which sport are you most excited to see? Let us know with this ranked-choice voting poll!
I canned tomatoes with my dear friend Ann Greiner, CEO of Primary Care Collaborative—grape jelly is up next!
P.S. Our partners at Disability Victory produced this excellent resource guide with best practices for making your social media more accessible to constituents! It includes tips for making content screen readers accessible, using alt text, captioning videos and more.
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