Weekend Reading on Women's Representation Archives

From Berlin to Beijing to U.S. Congress, Women’s Courage to Convene Propels Us Forward

PUBLISHED 9/26/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, sports and entertainment, judicial offices and the private sector—with a little gardening mixed in!

This week:
—We mark 60 years since former President Lyndon Johnson advanced equal opportunity in employment.
—When women come together, share our strength, and lift one another up, the impossible becomes possible.
—In a landslide victory, Adelita Grigalva becomes Arizona’s first Latina to Congress.
—Of the four Republican House members signing the petition about the actions and allies of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, three are women.
—A record number of U.S. legislators won’t run for reelection next year.
—Hillary Clinton “sees a dangerous moment for women’s rights and democracy.”
—Akshi Chawla, who writes the #WomenLead Substack and is a valuable resource on international women’s representation, on the great question: “How do I get started?”
—The Marshall Islands, a rapidly vanishing Oceania nation, is led by the region’s first-ever woman president, Hilda Heine.
—Who was the first American woman to have an airport named in her honor?

… and more.

The Health of a Democracy Is Measured by Its Leaders: Celebrating Women’s Political Leadership in Mexico, Iraq, Nepal and More

PUBLISHED 9/19/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week:
—Suhikla Karki is the new prime minister of Nepal, following demonstrations that toppled the previous government and negotiations between Gen Z demonstrators and the military.
—On Oct. 24, an open-seat contest for Ireland’s next president is taking shape for a seven-year term, with two of the three candidates already on the ballot being women; the field will be finalized later this month.
—Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has one of the highest approval ratings of national leaders a year after her trailblazing elections.
—As the United Nations prepares to open its General Debate for the 80th session in New York next week, I’ve been carrying Jacinda Ardern’s words with me: “I really rebel against this idea that politics has to be a place full of ego and where you’re constantly focused on scoring hits against one another. Yes, we need a robust democracy, but you can be strong, and you can be kind.”
—Iraq will hold its next parliamentary elections in November. Women hold 28.9 percent of seats in its Parliament, just about the same as the 28.7 percent held by women in the U.S. House of Representatives.

… and more.

Women as Teachers, Governors and Civil Service: The Fight for Women’s Leadership Everywhere

PUBLISHED 9/5/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week:
—Teachers have always been the cornerstone of thriving communities and a healthy democracy. It’s no accident that so many powerful women leaders began their journeys in classrooms. And yet, while women dominate the teaching profession, they remain underrepresented in our political institutions.
—President Trump’s recent federal workforce reductions have disproportionately harmed Black women, who are long overrepresented in civil service relative to the private sector.
—A growing number of women are entering the race for governor in 2025 and 2026.
—Debra Shigley, an attorney, small business owner and mom of five, has secured a top spot in a Georgia runoff election for a state Senate seat. Her election on Tuesday, Sept. 23, will be one to watch as women’s leadership in Georgia, and across the country, continues to grow. Georgia already uses ranked-choice voting, sometimes called “instant runoffs,” for military and overseas voters. Expanding this system statewide would guarantee majority winners in a single election.
—U.K. women are calling out dangerous narratives that weaponize sexual violence against women to scapegoat asylum seekers.
—Italian women fight digital violence and demand consent online.

… and more.

Celebrating Women’s Equality Day—105 Years After the 19th Amendment

PUBLISHED 8/29/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week:
– Marking 105 years since the 19th Amendment certified women’s right to vote.
– Democrat Catelin Drey wins a special election in Iowa, breaking the GOP’s majority in the state’s chamber.
– Australia’s youngest-ever senator, Labor Senator Charlotte Walker, delivers her first speech to Parliament.
– Women’s Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan are signs of Democracy.

… and more.

Remembering the Mother’s Letter That Secured the 19th Amendment

PUBLISHED 8/22/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week:
—“Dear Son … Hurray and vote for Suffrage and don’t keep them in doubt.” On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment when young legislator, Harry Burn, followed the advice of his mother, Febb Burn, and cast the decisive vote in favor. Febb—a college-educated widow who read three newspapers a day and strongly felt her mind was the equal of any man’s—had long impressed upon her son the importance of suffrage.
—California women are far more likely than men to be “energy burdened,” spending more than 6 percent of their income on home energy costs, including utilities for heating, cooling and power.
—RepresentWomen’s 2025 Gender Parity Index (GPI) offers encouraging news: Women’s political power in the United States is reaching new heights, with states like New Hampshire, Oregon and Maine achieving gender parity for the first time in history. But the United States still has a way to go, ranking 77th globally in women’s representation, but more importantly, it lags behind nearly all its major democratic allies.
—Economic struggle, especially among women, is profoundly shaping the political moment heading into 2026. Understanding the significance for female voters is not merely a political embellishment; it is fundamental to securing electoral victories in the midterm elections and effecting meaningful change.

… and more.

Tackling Structural Barriers—60 Years of the Voting Rights Act

PUBLISHED 8/8/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week:
—Sixty years have passed since the Voting Rights Act was passed on Aug. 5, 1965. The success of intentional policies like the Voting Rights Act grounds my belief that systems change is not only possible but necessary.
—This month marks the swearing in anniversaries for Supreme Court Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Ginsburg.
—Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield will advance to the general election this November.
—Women won nearly 20 percent of seats in the Lower House in Jordan’s 2024 parliamentary elections, up from 13.8 percent.
—Women hold just 8 percent of negotiator roles, 9 percent of mediator roles, and less than 5 percent of peace agreement signatories in major conflict resolutions since 1990, despite evidence that their inclusion improves outcomes dramatically.

… and more.

‘A Long Train of Abuses’—And a Long Road Ahead: 177 Years After Seneca Falls

PUBLISHED 7/18/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week:
—177 years after Seneca Falls: “… it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.”
—The Washington Post on how to make elections fairer: “Ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting, would ensure that government officials could not be elected with just a sliver of a split vote. And semi-open primaries would give independent voters, who have long been shut out of the primary process, a voice in the city’s most important races. But many of D.C.’s elected officials — who might face some real competition under this new system — are stalling the reforms.”
—Short of gender quotas, no single electoral reform at the a national level would have as much impact on electoral opportunities for women candidates as the adoption of ranked-choice voting for all elections and the Fair Representation Act in Congress.
—Not a single country in the world has yet achieved full gender equality.
—The presence of women alone is not enough; it must be paired with the power and opportunity to lead and legislate effectively.

… and more.

Independence Day, Ranked-Choice Wins and Jacinda Ardern: This Week in Women’s Representation

PUBLISHED 7/3/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week:
—This Friday marks the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The journey for women’s equal representation remains unfinished.
—Zohran Mamdani looks poised to join 36-year-old Boston mayor Michelle Wu as part of a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Northeast. It’s time for more aging men like Cuomo to step aside and let more women step up. And if New York City is any indication, the voters may take matters into their own hands.
—St. Paul in 2023 elected an all-women city council in its ranked-choice voting elections. There’s now a vacant seat, and three women are among the four candidates running in an Aug. 12 special election.
—Jacinda Ardern’s new book, A Different Kind of Power, highlights the shifting dynamics of power, how women are redefining what leadership can be, and the impact of fairer election systems for creating openings for new voices like her own.

… and more!

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Elected Leaders Should Be Able to Serve Without Fear; Honoring Opal Lee, Grandmother of Juneteenth

PUBLISHED 6/20/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

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

This week:
—new research on the importance of women’s leadership
—how Opal Lee became known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth
—No matter who wins the race, Virginia’s next governor will be the first woman to ever hold the office.

… and more.

The Best Birthday Gift for Trump? Voting in Every 2025 Election

PUBLISHED 6/13/2025 by Cynthia Richie Terrell

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

This week:
—2025 is often considered an off-year for elections, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
—Washington, D.C., is the site of dueling images: Pride and Trump’s alleged celebration of U.S. military might.
—Hannah Pingree has joined the crowded Democratic field for governor in Maine.
—U.S. Rep Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) will join Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger as Democratic nominees for governor in races leaning toward Democrats.
—San Antonio elects Gina Ortiz Jones as mayor.
—Ranked-choice voting is a women’s issue.

… and more!

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