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!
This week, milestones in women’s history include the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Sojourner Truth’s famous 1851 “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech (excerpt to follow), and the introduction of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974.
“That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman?
“Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man—when I could get it—and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman?
“I have borne 13 children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?“
Notable birthdays this week include: pioneering conservationist Rachel Carson; Gender on the Ballot’s Lucy Gettman; former RW staffer Toni Gingerelli; former Rep. Jennifer Wexton; Higher Heights’ co-founder Kimberly Peeler Allen; Ms. digital editor Roxy Szal; Maryland delegate Jheanelle Wilkins; and Vote Mama founder CEO Liuba Grechen Shirley.
Australian Women Secure Majority in New Cabinet
We’ve regularly covered Australia’s remarkable election for women, grounded in a system where nearly everyone votes due to fines for not voting and all votes count toward the decisive outcome due to ranked-choice voting. The governing Australia Labor Party (ALP)’s adoption of gender quotas contributed to its surge that has resulted in a large majority of its caucus being women and, now, the nation’s first-ever majority-women parliament.
Here’s an important article from The Conversation entitled “Labor Women Make History by Overtaking Men in Cabinet.”
“For the first time in Australian history, there will be more women than men in the federal cabinet. This comes more than 120 years after women were first allowed to stand for federal parliament, and decades after Labor established its gender quota strategy.
Taking into account the full caucus, women will comprise 56% of the Labor party room, a clear record. Across all parties and the crossbench, women now make up a record smashing 49.1% of parliament. As recently as 2021, the Inter-Parliamentary Union ranked Australia a lowly 73rd out of 193 countries for women in ministerial positions in national parliaments. The influx of women at this election should see us rise to equal seventh place…
Albanese’s new cabinet is certainly a win for women’s representation. But have we achieved equality? Can we go home now? In short, no. That’s because the other side of the chamber has a very different record. Women are critically underrepresented in the parliamentary Liberal and National parties. They make up just 28.5% of the former coalition across both chambers – a slight increase on the previous parliament. However, women comprise just 21% of Liberal and National MPs in the lower house, a decline of three percentage points. This has sparked renewed calls from some conservative quarters to introduce quotas. Sussan Ley has made history as the Liberal Party’s first female leader. However, there are already indications she has inherited a “glass cliff” position, given she was elevated after a catastrophic failure at the ballot box.”
Women and Primaries for Lt. Governor and Attorney General in 2025 in Virginia
Virginia Democrats may nominate an all-woman slate of candidates in the upcoming primaries on June 17. Abigail Spanberger is the uncontested candidate in the primary for governor, and EMILY’s List has endorsed women in contested primaries for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Here’s an excerpt from its news release:
Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi for lieutenant governor and Shannon Taylor for attorney general of Virginia. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:
“EMILYs List is proud to endorse state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi for lieutenant governor of Virginia. Sen. Hashmi has proven she has what it takes to win tough elections and has delivered for her constituents. In office, she has a proven track record of fighting for quality education, reproductive rights, and working families. We are confident that she will bring this same commitment to the lieutenant governor’s office and are thrilled to continue standing by her in this race.”
“Shannon Taylor has spent over two decades working towards a stronger, safer Virginia and EMILYs List is proud to endorse her for attorney general of Virginia. From years of service as a prosecutor at the local, state, and federal levels to her tenure as president of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys, she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public safety.”
Republicans will nominate current Lt. Governor Winsome Sears for governor, but only men are contesting the lieutenant governor and attorney general offices.
New Jersey Precedent: Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop Announces South Orange Village Mayor Sheena Collum as Running Mate
New Jersey is also electing a governor this year, with lieutenant governors selected by party gubernatorial nominees. Jersey City mayor Steve Fulop, who is running a reform-oriented campaign for governor (including as a strong backer of ranked-choice voting), is the only candidate to have announced his pick: South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum.
Here’s an excerpt from an analysis by Donald Scarcini in the New Jersey Globe:
“Steven Fulop is the first New Jersey gubernatorial candidate in NJ history to name a Lieutenant Governor running mate before the primary election. As Mayor of Jersey City, Fulop has made his reputation by thinking outside of the box. His decision to pick a running mate before primary election day is another Fulop first. This bold move is likely to become the new standard in future gubernatorial primaries….
“Fulop bucked tradition by naming Sheena Collum prior to the Democratic primary election. … Many consider her as one of New Jersey’s better mayors. She describes herself as a ‘policy wonk, political junkie, and perpetual diplomat’ who likes to ‘get in the weeds’ when faced with tough issues.”
New Majority’s Ebonie Simpson: Women’s Power from Ranked-Choice Voting
New Majority played a huge role in recruiting and supporting women in New York City as they rose from 13 seats to a super-majority of 31 in 2021. Read RepresentWomen’s analysis of the impact here.
Its director, Ebonie Simpson, has a powerful op-ed in The Daily News on May 28 that begins:
The upcoming June 24 primary elections are a critical moment for New York City. Thanks to ranked choice voting (RCV), New Yorkers will have more say than ever as to who does — and just as importantly, who does not — represent them in this critical moment. Unlike past elections, voters can select up to five candidates they think should be elected, not just which of the frontrunners they believe can beat the other side.
At the New Majority NYC, we have long championed RCV because we know it creates a more equitable and inclusive political landscape where female candidates — especially women of color — can rise to leadership. RCV allows voters to support the women they believe can make a difference. It gives women the opportunity to run for office and succeed, even in races with multiple strong contenders, by ensuring that the voices of all voters are counted.
Without ranked choice voting, the races for City Council, borough president, mayor and other city-wide seats would look all too similar: most candidates would be pressured to think strategically and consolidate behind a frontrunner. Realistically, that means the numerous women and candidates of color running for mayor would be told to get out of the race in order to avoid “splitting the vote” against other candidates.
Across the city, insurgent candidates with bold ideas would similarly be told to drop out and fall in line behind the same entrenched politicians — some of whom have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct. Ranked choice voting not only breaks that dynamic, but it leads to better candidates who can deliver more for voters. That’s not just rhetoric: in 2021, voters elected the first majority-female City Council in New York City history, with women candidates winning a commanding 31 of 51 seats. That reform led to significant change, with Adrienne Adams becoming the Council’s first Black speaker, and women elevated to a record number of leadership roles — 27 of 39 positions — on committees and subcommittees.
For more on ranked-choice voting:
- RepresentWomen has a 2023 memo on RCV and women’s representation and an interactive dashboard with the latest RCV stats.
- FairVote has an explainer on RCV in the New York City primaries – the City’s third with RCV after its rollout in 2021.
- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu this week signed legislation advancing RCV in her city that won in the council under the leadership of City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune
- Arlington (MA)’s town meeting passed RCV this month, adding to the growing pressure on the Massachusetts state legislature to allow more cities to implement RCV
- The League of Women Voters of Portland (OR) released a fascinating report based on interviews with 20 city council candidates in 2024 running in its first-ever proportional RCV elections. The report has constructive suggestions for improvements, with a positive conclusion: “The candidate interviews delivered a strongly positive assessment of multi-winner ranked choice voting overall. In particular, it was credited with fulfilling its promise of attracting more diverse candidates, reducing negative campaigning, giving voice to voters who traditionally had little representation in city government, and generally favoring collaboration over polarization.”
Closing the Gap: What the U.S. Can Learn from Global Leaders on Gender Equality
A new report written by Jennifer Piscopo, Nancy L. Cohen and Natalia Vega Varela explores how gender inequality continues to limit women’s opportunities and well-being globally. The World Economic Forum estimates it will take 134 years to close the gender gap at the current rate. The United States is no exception, ranking 43rd on the Global Gender Gap Index, far behind many other advanced democracies.
High-ranking countries on the index succeed by using a dual approach: targeted initiatives (such as equal pay and maternal health) alongside integrating gender equality across all areas of government policy. This broader integration, referred to as gender mainstreaming, has led to meaningful progress in women’s status and helped shift long-standing gender norms.
Check out this excerpt from the executive summary of the report:
The United States is no exception. Indeed, when compared to peer countries, America’s gender gaps are particularly striking. The U.S. ranks 43rd on the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), far below many advanced democracies, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
The U.S. can learn lessons from our higher performing counterparts and allies in wealthy democratic countries.
The highest ranked countries on the GGGI employ a two-pronged strategy to advance gender equality. Like the U.S., they target measures specifically to women—on equal pay, gender-based violence, or maternal health, for example.
Yet they don’t stop there. Crucially, they integrate gender equality considerations in public policy across the whole of government. The results are impressive. Many countries that engage in this method of gender policymaking have substantively improved women’s condition, status, and well-being.
Women Notably Absent From Korea’s Presidential Election
As South Korea approaches its 2025 presidential election, the complete absence of female candidates on the final ballot marks a stark regression in gender representation. Despite women’s increasing participation in education, work, and civil society, gender equality is notably absent from the top campaign priorities of major candidates. Public criticism prompted some candidates to introduce women-focused policies, but these efforts remain limited.
Seo Ji-Eun writes for Korea JoongAng Daily:
Only about 19.2 percent of the 300 National Assembly seats are held by women as of 2024 — well below the global average and among the lowest for member states of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
“Korea is a highly wealthy country economically […] but the global gender gap index shows that Korea ranks quite low in terms of women’s political empowerment,” said Heo Min-sook, researcher at the National Assembly Research Service. “When the power to make laws is overwhelmingly held by men, we are living in a fundamentally skewed society.”
Women Leaders Call for Inclusive Spaces in Politics
At the Fortune Most Powerful Women International summit in Riyadh, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, former European Parliament vice president and founder of Women Political Leaders (WPL), highlighted the subtle yet persistent gender biases in political institutions. She recounted the lack of basic facilities like diaper-changing stations in the European Parliament—a sign of systemic disregard for women’s life experiences, especially motherhood. She emphasized that women often exit politics prematurely due to unwelcoming environments, leading to a loss of institutional knowledge.
Our friends at Vote Mama have extensive research on the challenges new mothers face in politics. Visit their website to learn more about how to remove barriers for new parents in politics and retain their crucial lived experiences in government
Check out the full article here.
Suriname May Elevate Doctor as Its First Woman President
Suriname, a country along the northeastern coast of South America, held elections on May 25. Troubled by corruption and anticipating a surge of wealth due to newly discovered oil, it’s a momentous time for the nation to have new leadership. From ABC News coverage:
“Suriname could soon have its first female president after a party led by a medical doctor formed a coalition aimed at ousting the South American country’s current leader following a weekend election with no clear winner. Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, of the National Democratic Party, formed a coalition with five other parties late Tuesday as workers still tallied votes from Sunday’s National Assembly election. The chamber chooses the president by a two-thirds vote. The coalition was formed as the troubled country prepares for an influx of wealth following the discovery of major offshore oil deposits, with the first production expected by 2028.”
Dr. Geerlings-Simons is currently the speaker of the Suriname parliament. Here’s more on the Suriname from the Inter-Parliamentary Union and from Dr. Geerlyings-Simons’ assembly biography page:
“Ms. Simons serves as a Member of Parliament, and is a member of several of its committees related to public health, education, transport, communication, tourism and parliamentary businesses. She is the Chairperson of the Association of Parliamentarians for the Development of Children and Youth. She has also served as the manager of the national AIDS and STD program.”
Hurdles and Horizons: Amplifying Visibility for Asian American Women
Yesterday, the Women’s Power Collaborative hosted “Hurdles and Horizons: Amplifying Visibility for Asian American Women.” It was a powerful celebration and amplification of Asian American women in various levels of government and advocacy.
Thank you to our incredible speakers who shared their incredible insights.
- Ria Deshmukh, RepresentWomen’s digital media manager
- Ellie Sato, Maine state representative
- Ruwa Romman, Georgia state representative
- Isha Jadhav, J.D. candidate at American University Washington College of Law
Pine Barrens, the Appalachian Trail and a Wedding
This last week has been busy with two weekends at our family cabin in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey building docks and cleaning cobwebs, a beautiful wedding of my son’s closest childhood friend, and my husband’s first stint hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to North Carolina. These events were lovely reminders of the enduring power of friendships and family along with the unparalleled beauty of the natural world that sustains us.
That’s all for this week. Enjoy your weekend!
