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!
The RepresentWomen team is back from a much-needed winter restoration, ready to continue building women’s political power in 2025 and beyond. The United States is wading further into unprecedented territory regarding women’s representation. We must envision a 21st-century democracy where all women can run, win, lead and serve. We want to reaffirm our commitment to supporting not just women leaders, but reforming our electoral system as a whole to create a truly representative government.
Earlier this week, the U.S. made history with the swearing-in of Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.). For the first time, two Black women are serving in the Senate simultaneously.
Delaware also elected the first transgender member of Congress, Rep. Sarah McBride. And in Washington, Emily Randall is the first LGBTQ+ Latina member of the House of Representatives.
But, despite these wins, the total number of women serving in the House and Senate has declined, and there is a disparity between party affiliation and gender when looking at Congress’ makeup.
The elections of President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico and President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Namibia show that there is enthusiasm for gender-balanced governments around the world. Comparative systems like gender quotas and proportional representation are just some of the reforms we can implement in the United States to continue increasing women’s political power here.
The first quarter of 2025 is going to be a busy one for RepresentWomen, including the release of our new international microsite, new briefs on gender parity in North America, a continuation of our Black Women in Politics series, and the Democracy Solutions Summit to kick-off International Women’s month. Do not hesitate to contact us at info@representwomen.org to learn more about these initiatives, discuss collaborations, and chat about ways to build women’s political power in 2025.
In this week’s Weekend Reading, we cover President Jimmy Carter’s legacy, activist Fannie Lou Hamer receiving a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, milestones in the U.S. Congress, the rising number of women serving in state-level governments, and the impact of the Jan. 6 insurrection on women members of Congress.
Remembering Jimmy Carter’s Legacy
This week, former President Jimmy Carter will rest at his family home in Georgia. Though he only served one term, his time in office was pivotal in advancing the inclusion and rights of women. Carter worked closely with prominent Black leaders like Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan, demonstrating his commitment to racial and gender equity.
Carter broke new ground with his appointments, naming Patricia Roberts Harris as the first Black woman to serve in a Cabinet position (HUD). He also appointed other Black women, such as Eleanor Holmes Norton to lead the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Hazel R. O’Leary to a senior energy role. Alexis Herman, appointed by Carter as the youngest-ever director of the Women’s Bureau, championed policies such as equal pay, childcare, maternity leave, and protections against sexual harassment.
As the United States continues to make slow progress towards gender balance in politics, Jimmy Carter will be remembered for his lifelong commitment to equity, justice and service.
Donna M Owens from NBC reports:
From judgeships to Cabinet-level appointments, Black women broke ground in Carter’s administration. He was in office from 1977 to 1981, amid the wave of feminist and gender activism that followed the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
After the announcement last year that Carter, 100, had entered hospice care at home, Black women who worked with Carter during his administration told NBC News that Carter, who died Sunday, had long been a champion of women, notably as shifting gender norms coincided with his term…
“There is not one single initiative related to women’s rights that did not have its foundation in the Carter administration,” Herman said.
According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, Carter is one of 12 presidents who have appointed women to Cabinet or Cabinet-level positions since President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Frances Perkins labor secretary in 1933. During his four years in the White House, Carter appointed four women to such positions, CAWP data shows.
Milestones in the 119th U.S. Congress: Three LGBTQ Women Sworn in
Three LGBTQ+ women made history as they were sworn into the 119th U.S. Congress. Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress. Rep. Emily Randall made history as the first queer Latina in Congress. And Rep. Julie Johnson became the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from the South. With the 119th Congress, the number of openly LGBTQ members in Congress has risen to 13, including 12 in the House and Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the Senate.
Jo Yurcaba from NBC News reports:
Rep. Sarah McBride served two terms as a Delaware state senator before winning the state’s only House seat in November. McBride is no stranger to making history. In 2020, she was elected the country’s first openly trans state senator…
Randall was elected to the Washington state Senate in 2018 by 102 votes, flipping a seat previously held by a Republican. She said she decided to run for office in late 2016, after the election of President Donald Trump…
Johnson became the first member of the Texas House who had a spouse of the same gender when she won her race for the state’s 115th District in 2018.
She ran for Congress on a platform that included protecting abortion access at the federal level, strengthening gun laws and protecting the Affordable Care Act.
Eighteen Women in Congress Brace for Trump’s Return to Office; Recall Threats of Violence During and After Jan. 6 Insurrection
On Jan. 6, 2025, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over a joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College—four years after the violent insurrection on the Capitol in 2021. Eighteen women remain in Congress who were present on the day of the attack led by President Trump’s supporters—now considered an act of domestic terrorism by the FBI. Seventeen members of the House of Representatives and one Senator spoke to The 19th on how the violence and trauma of Jan. 6 have impacted their experience as elected officials trying to combat the spread of misinformation surrounding the severity of that day.
Mariel Padilla of The 19th writes regarding one former representative:
Rep. Ann McLane Kuster of New Hampshire said she is still dealing with lasting post-traumatic stress disorder from January 6, one the “most impactful events” in her life. Kuster was also one of the last five lawmakers to be evacuated from the House floor. She could hear the thundering crowds and pounding on the doors and experienced a panic attack as officers snuck them into an elevator and rushed them through an underground tunnel to safety. Kuster later saw security footage of insurrectionists with backpacks, bear mace and zip ties entering the same hallway she had just evacuated 30 seconds earlier.
“I’m haunted by the idea that if the police hadn’t pushed back five seconds here, five seconds there, pushing back on the bicycle racks, pushing back on the people who were crushed in the doors — that the five of us would have been kidnapped, murdered or maimed,” Kuster said. “It was only a five-vote majority and if we hadn’t been there, America might not have woken up to Joe Biden as the lawfully elected president of the United States.”
Kuster decided to retire this year before Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States and attributes January 6 as one of the reasons for that decision.
Mixed Progress for Women in Politics: New Records in State Legislatures and Governorships While Congressional Numbers Decline
This year, there will be a mixed outlook regarding women’s representation in politics. For the first time since 2016, there will not be a net gain in women elected to Congress, however, there still has been significant progress. For the first time, two Black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks, will serve simultaneously in the Senate. Women also broke records in executive roles, with 13 female governors set to serve in 2025. At the state level, 2,467 women will serve in legislatures, marking a new record. However, they still only account for about one-third of all legislators.
Simone Pathe, Renée Rigdon and Arit John from CNN write:
The number of women in Congress is decreasing but not by much. Overall, 150 women will serve on Capitol Hill in the new Congress, down from the record of 152 set in 2024. It’s the first time since the 2016 election that there won’t be a net gain in women’s congressional representation as a result of an election, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University (CAWP)…
Fannie Lou Hamer Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Last week, President, Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 individuals, including a posthumous honor for civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer. Hamer, a civil rights activist, was known for her fierce advocacy for voting and equal rights. She also founded programs to fight poverty, including the Freedom Farm and Mississippi’s first Head Start program. Her award was accepted by her family, who continue to honor her legacy through projects like the documentary Fannie Lou Hamer’s America.
Mississippi Today reports:
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors…
A vocal proponent of voting and equal rights for everyone, Hamer is remembered as a fiery and eloquent speaker who said she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Numerous political stalwarts referenced Hamer’s courageous stance during the Democratic National Convention in August, including U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Mississippi resident and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson.
Born Oct. 6, 1917, Hamer, a Mississippi sharecropper with a sixth-grade education, worked tirelessly to help thousands of Black residents in her home state to register and vote. Because of those efforts, Hamer and several others were arrested in Winona on June 9, 1963, while returning home from a voter registration workshop in South Carolina. Hamer and three others, including 15-year-old June Johnson, were viciously beaten at the hands of local law enforcement. The activists were released four days later on June 12.
Save the Date: March 4-6, Democracy Solutions Summit
Save the date for RepresentWomen’s 2025 Democracy Solutions Summit, a virtual three-day event taking place from March 4-6, 2025! This summit will feature inspiring women leaders in politics discussing crucial issues related to democracy and women’s representation. Stay tuned for more details, and in the meantime, add a calendar hold by visiting this landing page.
