What The Hell America!

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!

‘Remember the Ladies’

On March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John Adams—who notably said in 1776 that Congress “should be an exact portrait, in miniature, of the people at large, it should think, feel, reason and act like them”—imploring him to “remember the ladies.”

I long to hear that you have declared an independency—and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would, Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.         

—Abigail Adams (wording with modern era spelling)

Additional milestones in women’s history this week include: Susan B Anthony, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howe, and Sojourner Truth organized the National Council of Women (March 31, 1888); Jeannette Rankin was sworn in as the first woman elected to Congress (April 2, 1917); Lelia Foley became the first Black woman elected mayor (1973) and Susanna Slater became the first woman mayor (1887). 

Birthdays of notable women this week include: Alissa Bombardier Shaw (RW staff); Sharon Waxman editor of The Wrap; U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree; Susannah Wellford, CEO of Running Start and a RW board member; Maya Angelou, noted writer and civil rights advocate; and Ann Ravel, former chair of the Federal Elections Commission and board member of Expand Democracy.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Maintains Nationwide-High Women’s Leadership

On April 1, Susan Crawford won the most expensive judicial election in American history, overcoming more than $20 million spent by Elon Musk on behalf of her opponent, to win an open seat on Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court for a 10-year term. Crawford joins a court that has the highest percentage of female justices in the nation—albeit an all-white court in a state where more than a fifth of the population is people of color, replacing Ann Walsh Bradley so that six of seven justices will continue to be female.

With all of six of these women elected statewide, their victories provide another good example of how women are able to win in our nation’s swing states. They also provide an example of the substance of the impact of women in elected office.

In 2023, the Badger Project did a fascinating story on women on state supreme courts around the nation and what impact their presence had—with women that year at 41 percent of the 330 justices around the nation.

“A 2010 study on female federal court judges shows that their presence rarely affects the outcomes of cases. ‘Rarely, though,’ the study reports, ‘is not never.’ 

“The study, Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging by Christina L. Boyd and others, found an exception when courts rule on gender discrimination disputes. The presence of female judges often caused male judges ‘to vote in a way they otherwise would not – in favor of plaintiffs,’ the study reported.

The findings were similar to conclusions from some other research on the effect of gender in court judgments in cases dealing with employment issues, the Boyd study said. The Boyd study also suggested that as the backgrounds and experiences of judges widen, so does the range of ideas and information brought to the judicial process. These results may provide evidence for claims arguing for diversity on the bench, the study claims.”

Bipartisan Push for Proxy Voting in Congress for New Parents 

One of my early insights at RepresentWomen was that policies designed to enable a certain community to participate equitably can be helpful to all of us—from wheelchair ramps to better sound systems in classrooms. A challenge for parents of young children to serve in elected office can be the expectations that parents of young children are expected to participate in person in evening events. That’s hard enough for parents of newborns in Congress who are well-paid; it’s quite another for local officials who are volunteers or poorly paid.

The same challenges also apply for people seeking to testify in hearings if not allowed to participate remotely—a restriction we know from our experiences in the pandemic is not necessary. 

An unfolding drama in Congress showcases a particularly sensible idea designed to address this challenge: giving parents of newborns a 12-week period where they can participate and vote remotely. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), the newest mothers in the House, have co-sponsored a resolution to allow new parents to vote remotely. When House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to bury their bill, they organized a “discharge petition” with the signatures of a majority of House measures to force a floor vote. When Johnson in response this week sought to pass a rule that would block consideration of the bill until 2027, a majority came together to reject Johnson’s proposed rule—and put House business at a standstill. Here is an excerpt from The Washington Post on coverage of the vote:

“A majority of House Democrats and 12 Republicans, many of them young fathers, backed the petition last month, allowing Luna to introduce it this week. The House would have had to vote on the measure by Thursday had the chamber not adjourned for the week on Tuesday….“In a statement after the vote, [Max] Miller — whose daughter was born over a year ago — said he could not ‘in good conscience vote for an unprecedented rule that would pull the rug out from under Representative Luna’s discharge petition that got the required signatures fair and square. I cannot imagine a mother, who has spent 9 months going through the wringer, being told that you can’t be with your infant only because you are one of 435 people,’ he said. ‘We are the pro-life, pro-family party. As a new dad, I just couldn’t support it.’

“But other Republicans, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), argued that those who want to spend time with their children can stay home instead of serving in Congress.”

Here is an excerpt from Jessica Grose in a column on the proposal in The New York Times.

“I give a lot of credit to Luna, who was willing to go to the mat for this. Since she gave birth to her son in August 2023, she has been fighting for this change, which is the tiniest baby step into the 21st century for Congress. She even left the hard-right Freedom Caucus over its lack of support for the measure. But it’s hard to imagine that Congress is going to get it together to pass an increased child tax credit — another family-friendly measure that has bipartisan support — when it can’t even pass something tiny like this without a full-scale meltdown”

Trump Executive Order on Voting Could Affect Millions, Including Married Women Who Have Changed their Name

On March 25, President Trump issued an executive order on voting that seeks to overturn American traditions of federalism by seeking to impose “one-size-fits-all” regulations on voting that are highly controversial and not viable in Congress. Wendy Weiser of the Brennan Center has a thorough review of the executive order and its potential impact, including highlighting how the proposed identification requirements create a special burden for women who have changed their last name when getting married.

“President Donald Trump last Tuesday issued an executive order that aims to illegally overhaul and take control of major parts of the nation’s election systems. He claimed extraordinary unilateral authority to regulate federal elections and usurp the powers of Congress, the states, and an independent bipartisan federal agency. This violates the Constitution and various federal laws. If implemented, the order could disenfranchise millions of American citizens, compromise the security of sensitive personal data, and disrupt election administration across the country….

The order purports to require citizens to produce a passport or similar document to register to vote. The order’s limited list of acceptable documents would mean that most Americans would have to present a passport to register using the mail registration form. Only about half of Americans hold a passport, putting millions of eligible voters at risk of being blocked from voting. Research shows that younger Americans, Americans of color, and lower-income Americans are less likely to have ready access to documents like passports and birth certificates. And millions of married women who have changed their names may not have citizenship documents that match their current legal name.”

New Republican Women’s Caucus Announced by President Trump

In a move towards gender parity, President Trump and Florida Rep. Kat Cammack have announced a new Republican Women’s Caucus. During the event, President Trump expressed support for a Smithsonian Women’s History Museum and encouraged lawmakers to share legislative priorities that directly impact women. Currently, only one Republican woman leads a House committee: North Carolina Representative Virginia Foxx, who is the chair of the House Rules Committee.  

Anissa Reyes writes for ABC 3340 News: 

The goal of the caucus will be to “champion GOP women members’ legislative priorities,” “support GOP women in a variety of endeavors on the national stage,” and “push for representation in leadership positions.”

“Today and every day, America’s daughters ignite the dreams and develop the character of our next generation,” Trump said in an executive order declaring March Women’s History Month. “Their contributions to America’s excellence are worthy of praise and recognition, now and forever.”

New Hampshire Legislature Fails to Reach Gender Parity

Women have had proven success at the top of the ticket in New Hampshire politics, but that has not been true in down-ballot races. Women comprise over half of the state population but only 35.8 percent of state legislatures; our GPI gives New Hampshire a B partly because of the high number of women elected at the federal level. New Hampshire has a citizen legislature, where participants receive only $100 a year to serve in public office. The incredibly low pay for elected officials disproportionately impacts women, many of whom are responsible for providing childcare and other caregiving duties. 

Claire Sullivan writes in the New Hampshire Bulletin: 

The set-up of a legislature can pose its own challenges. Emily Baer, an assistant professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire, pointed to the fact that in more professionalized legislatures, with better pay and more staff support, “women tend to be better represented.”

The “flip side” of having a citizen Legislature in New Hampshire, she said, “is it’s much harder  for women to serve in a state that is not providing them with the resources to pursue that as a career, while also balancing other things in their personal and professional lives.”

This may have an acute effect on women in particular because of factors like being underrepresented in professions that are considered political pipelines, as well as access to child care and other resources, she said.

Skokie, Ill., Elects Woman Mayor and Passes Ranked-Choice Voting

On April 2, voters in Skokie (Ill.) elected Ann Tennes, a communications specialist, to be their new mayor in a three-candidate election. Mayor-elect Tennes’ website lifts up her vision of leadership: 

“Ann Tennes is an Independent candidate committed to transparent, practical leadership centered on inclusion and collaboration to unite Skokie for positive growth.With more proactive, responsive and inclusive leadership, we can invest wisely in our future so that every resident feels welcome, is able to thrive and enjoys an excellent quality of life in our community.”

Skokie voters also handily approved a ballot measure to establish ranked choice voting for future city elections, with FairVote Illinois providing critical support. A majority of voters have backed pro-RCV provisions in more than 30 consecutive city ballot measures around the nation.

Impact of Canada’s Snap April 28 Election on Women’s Representation and Voices

In Canada’s last parliamentary elections in 2021, using U.S.-style plurality voting in single member districts, women won a record-high share of 30.6 percent of seats. When Justin Trudeau was first elected prime minister and asked about why he created the nation’s first gender-balanced Cabinet, he simply said, “Because it’s 2015.”

Canada is now having new elections under its new prime minister Mark Carney, who replaced Trudeau as the Liberal Party leader last month. It’s unclear how women will fare, but there is at least one concerning development: In Carney’s newly-organized Cabinet, he eliminated the position of minister for women and gender equality and youth. Last month a large coalition of organizations signed onto a powerful statement that included the following:

“This regressive step undermines decades of progress toward gender equality and political representation in Canada. Even in a lean cabinet, which purports to be responding to specific economic pressures, the absence of this dedicated minister sends a troubling message about the current government’s priorities and commitment to advancing rights for intergenerational women,  2SLGBTQIIA+ people and gender equality at large. A strong economy demands that we invest in feminist policies, like healthcare, pharmacare, childcare, the national action plan to end gender based violence, and so much more. Gender equality is not an afterthought; it is the backbone of a strong economy and resilient society. 

“WAGE must retain a dedicated cabinet position. Consolidating these responsibilities into a broader portfolio undermines the focus, expertise, and resources required to tackle systemic issues effectively. Simply put, it will not work. Gender equality demands dedicated leadership, accountability, and sustained attention—none of which can be adequately achieved when it is treated as an afterthought within a larger, unrelated ministry.

“This move, dismantling the national machinery for women’s rights and gender equality, has far-reaching implications. This decision comes amid a broader international backlash on women and gender rights, with countries rolling back protections and support structures.”

Little Women Is a Reminder About the Core American Value of Kindness

Last weekend, I joined my husband and daughter Anna for a dramatization of Little Women at the American Shakespeare Theater in Staunton, Virginia. The play, and of course Louisa May Alcott’s classic book, lifts up what has been a core American value: kindness. Neighbors take care of neighbors, Jo March and her sisters give up their Christmas money to help their mother, and take their meal to another fatherless family with a newborn and even less money. The March’s neighbor Mr Laurence gives Jo’s sister Beth a piano. The March’s father and then Jo create schools for children without funds to pay for them.

Kindness is not a value reserved for women. But at a time of regular expressions of casual cruelty by overwhelmingly male leaders in the Trump administration – cutting off foreign aid and contraception services that are likely to result in the death of millions, firing federal workers without due process for no other reason that they were hired in the last two years, slashing the Department of Education’s capacity to leave no children behind, breaking up families with deportations based on the flimsiest of excuses, and more – I am reminded that there are different models of leadership, such as those articulated by Ann Tennes as she won her mayoral election in Skokie. One of my goals at RepresentWomen is to encourage a conversation about those different approaches to leadership and the different incentives for elected leaders that will come with methods of voting, like ranked-choice voting, that encourage candidates to find common ground.

My Garden Is Awash in Blossoms

Here is a poem in honor of spring from my dear sister in law, award winning author Marina Richie:

Awake Before the Dawning

I hear a Snipe winnowing over slumbered meadows 

as he wings high and dives, fanned tail feathers 

splitting the air into wavered laughter. Muffled hoots 

of a Great-horned Owl tuck triplet notes into my ears

tuned to American Robins breaking the bread of songbird silence.

Soon, Western Meadowlarks will tang crisp April into lemony duets.

All this after yesterday when night fell to her knees raptured

by tree frog harmonics peeping from an unblinking pond.

Cocooned in flannel sheets, dreams tendrilled my day-driven body.

Now after Snipe, Owl, Robin, and a Northern Flicker thrum drums

on my ribcage, I fling open the door where Canada Geese flock

over the Grande Ronde River, every flap a folding 

and unfolding  of flanneled softness, this unspun day.