Mexico

For Women to Have Real Political Power, We Need Quotas

Since 1789, only six women have occupied a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States, one of the most crucial institutions for justice in this country; and in the last 237 years, only 60 women have held a seat in the U.S. Senate. 

In order to achieve true parity, the United States needs to implement affirmative actions—gender quotas established by law. This will ensure that women are selected, appointed and supported by political platforms. Strategically speaking, these quotas would ensure that women rise to the same level of political opportunities as men.

While Women Take the Lead in Mexico’s Government, Here’s How Can We Elect More Women in the U.S.

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Feminists from around the world meet in Athens, Greece, to talk women’s representation and gender gaps in the European Union; Mexico inaugurated its first woman president Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum, her Cabinet is half women, and the Supreme Court and Congress are headed by women; Alabama is the only state without any legislators who are mothers of school-age children; MSNBC special titled “Black Women in America: The Road to 2024,” focused on the critical influence of Black women in American politics; and more.

There Can Be No Debate Over Asylum

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Tuesday’s vice presidential debate brought exchanges over the question of asylum and border security, with Sen. JD Vance lying—without real-time fact-checking—about the ease of obtaining asylum. He offered a baseless assertion that people can be “granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand.”

Winning asylum is extremely difficult, and the horrific conditions forcing women to seek protection from gender-based violence in Central America and Mexico show no signs of abating.

The ‘Electability’ Question: Don’t Fall for Sexist, Racist Clickbait

Posing women’s leadership writ large as an open and unanswered question—and questioning the electability of a candidate who has made a career of supporting women’s lives and fundamental rights in an election largely defined by these issues—is nothing short of irresponsible journalism. Women lead politics around the world every single day.

Black women are electable if we elect them.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Women Lawmakers Condemn Trump Shooting; Paris Olympics First to Achieve Gender Parity; 176th Anniversary of Seneca Falls

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Concerns of political violence are on the rise after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump; insights from the historic Mexican elections; for the first time, the Olympics will have gender balance, with equal primetime coverage for men’s and women’s events; and more.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Must Prioritize Reproductive Choice as the Country Becomes a Lifeline for American Women

In June, Mexico marked a historic moment electing its first female president. Many women from the United States and other Latin American countries travel to Mexico to seek care. Therefore, advancing reproductive choice for women and girls should be a top policy priority for President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term in order to expand access to myriad opportunities for women across the Americas.

Texas Sends Millions to Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It’s Meant to Help Needy Families, But No One Knows if It Works.

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Two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Texas leads the nation in funding for crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). The system is meant to help growing families, but it’s riddled with waste and lacks oversight, a ProPublica and CBS News investigation found.

What’s worse: Lawmakers around the country are considering programs modeled on Texas’ CPC system, called Alternatives to Abortion.

A Call to Protect Mexico’s Women Climate Leaders

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Exactly 12 years ago, Mexico enacted the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists law, a legislative promise to protect activists and reporters from violence and repression. Today, this promise remains unfulfilled.

Mexico remains one of the most dangerous places for human rights defenders, particularly for women climate leaders—who face targeted violence, threats, and attacks, with little to no effective protection from the state. Just last month, Mexico elected its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, an environmental scientist who has led on climate change throughout her career. While this election may mark a shift towards better protection and support for women climate leaders, there is a tremendous amount of work to be done to protect them—not only for their sake but for the future of our planet. 

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Ensuring Fair Pay for Legislators; Alyia Gaskins May Be Alexandria’s First Black Woman Mayor

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Alyia Gaskins secured the Democratic nomination for mayor of Alexandria and is on track to become the first Black woman mayor in the city; over 100 women are on the November ballot, aiming for seats in the Texas House next year; women across the nation report salary as a key consideration when deciding to run or remain in office; and more.

Stories From Appalachia: ‘I Was Born in Mexico, but I’m From McDowell. We Grew Up Here, and We’ll Stay Here.’

An oral history project five years in the making, Beginning Again: Stories of Movement and Migration in Appalachia brings together narratives of refugees, migrants and generations-long residents that explore complex journeys of resettlement.

Meet Cindy Sierra Morales: When she was 6 years old, Sierra Morales’ family migrated from Durango, Mexico, to Los Angeles, fleeing gang violence. After a short stay with family friends, Cindy’s family drove to Marion, N.C., where her aunt, uncle, cousins and older siblings already lived. Her parents held a variety of factory jobs, and Cindy started second grade just a few weeks after arriving. After living in the United States for 15 years, Cindy and her siblings were able to secure legal documentation through DACA.