Women were no doubt key to the victory of President Joe Biden and the election of first woman vice president, but the story of the gender gap in 2020, and in every context in American politics, is complicated.
Tag: Politics
Biden Must Stay Faithful To a Strong Workers’ Rights Agenda. Essential Workers Deserve It
Biden must use his executive power and influence to immediately uplift the essential workers who have kept our country going amid this pandemic and political upheaval.
Are Women Reshaping the Political Donor Class? Money Matters in the Upcoming Races for Governor
We should be paying attention not only to the women on the ballot, but also to the women donors who can influence who makes it from the ballot to the governor’s mansion.
In 2020, We Created a Culture of Civic Participation. This Work Must Continue in 2021
To understand where trends in promoting democracy are headed, it’s important to put into perspective the myriad ways in which businesses and industry leaders contributed to unprecedented turnout in 2020.
State Policy Trends 2020: Reproductive Health and Rights in a Year Like No Other
This year, 24 abortion restrictions were enacted, as were 16 provisions that protect and expand access to abortion services (including two identical sets of provisions in Virginia), and another 74 provisions that expand access to reproductive health services and education.
Keeping Score: Congressional Republicans Deny Election Results; Dr. Biden Defends Herself
In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in in this biweekly round-up.
This week: Just 27 of 249 congressional Republicans acknowledge Joe Biden as president-elect; Laverne Cox opens up about transphobia; Barbara Kavovit is leading the tear-down of Harvey Weinstein’s former office; Dr. Jill Biden defends her hard work; Elliot Page comes out as trans; ParityBOT supports women candidates online; 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao is first TIME Kid of the Year; House Democrats vote to legalize marijuana; BuzzFeed subpoenaed by ICE; Greta Thunberg is editor for a day; and more!
Getting it Right: Why It’s Important To Pronounce Kamala Harris’s and My Name Correctly
The name “Kamala” tops this year’s list of most mispronounced words—yet, as a society, we still haven’t fully recognized name mispronunciation as a form of microaggression. Kamala Harris’s story provides us with an opportunity to “get it right.”
“There is erasure when names are mispronounced—like the severing of a long rope that links us to our past. Beyond that, there is also anger, confusion and pain.”
What Would It Take to Double the Representation of Women in Congress By 2050?
As the U.S. celebrates the fairly meager victories for women candidates in the 2020 election and compare our progress to our democratic allies around the world, there is much to learn from New Zealand’s successful transition to a mixed-member proportional system.
In order for the United States to make serious and sustained progress toward parity by 2050, we must invest our energy and our resources in systemic reforms that address the structural barriers women face as candidates and elected officials.
Rights Advocates Rejoice as the New Biden Team Is Assembled
Biden’s White House staff is falling into place, and Cabinet members are being announced: Antony Blinken will be Biden’s secretary of state; Linda Thomas-Greenfield will become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Michèle Flournoy will be secretary of defense; John Kerry will focus on climate change; Alejandro Mayorkas has been nominated secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Avril Haines has been nominated for director of national intelligence; and Jake Sullivan will be the national security adviser.
Future Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Faces COVID-Induced Economic Crisis
The selection of Janet Yellen as the first woman to serve at the helm of Treasury and oversee the biggest economy in the world is noteworthy. But Yellen’s appointment is in keeping with research that shows women are especially likely to be selected for leadership in the middle of crises. Is she being set up to fail?