Why Aren’t Women in Politics?
Since women were ‘allowed’ in the political field, they remain dramatically underrepresented in U.S. elected offices. The root cause of the problem stems from 2 reasons: election aversion and voter bias.
Election aversion may be due to divergent political ambitions or the fact that women undervalue their qualifications. As almost 70% of women believe that statement compared to just half of the men, and women are more likely to see gender discrimination as a significant factor to why they are under-represented in politics. Additionally, there is an overbearing amount of voter bias against women. There is little to no progress in this area, as these 2 reasons combined are deadly for women trying to run for office.
Statistics
- Of the 12,415 people that have served the U.S Congress, 5% were women.
- Of the 2,573 people that have served as Governor in the United States, 1.7% were women.
- Of the 115 people that have served on the Supreme Court in the United States, 3.4% were women.
There are 2 solutions to this problem: founding organizations and more educational opportunities.
Organizations, such as Emily’s List, E-PAC, and Winning for Women, help empower women to become more involved in politics. These organizations recruit strong candidates and fund their campaigns. Furthermore, these groups also support women of color and minorities in politics with special funding and programs for them. This isn’t a permanent solution, however it is helpful in recruiting more women candidates. A proper solution needs to addresses gender bias.
One potential solution which talks about gender bias is improved voter education. Giving more educational opportunities for women in the political field would be the first step in this solution. This includes internships, scholarships, and classes in school/universities, which help empower women in the politics. Furthermore, in history, all students should be taught about voter bias and how hurtful that is in the election. This would help diminish the problem of voter bias at a young age.
As frustrating as this situation is, it is likely that there were be a slow and steady progress in this area.
