Congress had very few women members back in 1960, and just one woman of color: Representative Patsy Mink of Hawaii.
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Mink, the first woman of color in Congress, brought a racially and historically aware brand of feminism into lawmaking and ran for president in 1972. But women’s history largely overlooks her.
Jahana Hayes (left) and Lauren Underwood were reelected to the House of Representatives.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Women made gains in Congress this election cycle, but they are still underrepresented compared to their share of the population.
Harris isn’t actually the first Black woman to run for vice president of the United States.
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Ever heard of Shirley Chisholm? What about Charlene Mitchell and Lenora Fulani? They are among the many African American women who’ve run for president despite enormous political barriers.
New research shows politicians experience high levels of emotional labour, which not only falls more heavily on women but also impacts their mental wellbeing.
Chileans celebrate victory after the referendum, in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 25, 2020.
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After a year of unrest Chileans voted decisively on Oct. 25 to replace their constitution, a relic of the military dictator Pinochet. Civilians, half of them women, will write the new constitution.
Neither Labor’s Annastacia Palaszczuk, nor the Liberal National Party’s Deb Frecklington appear to be interested in highlighting the needs and perspectives of women ahead of October 31.
‘Chile Decides’ whether to change its military dictatorship-era constitution at a popular referendum on Oct. 25.
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On Oct. 25 Chile will decide whether to replace its dictatorship-era constitution with a new one written wholly by the Chilean people. The vote shows how protests can change the course of a nation.
In Europe, women politicians were even more likely to respond to female constituents who asked for help.
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Researchers posed as constituents and emailed 3,685 legislators in 11 countries in Europe and Latin America to ask for help. Responsiveness varied by gender by up to 13 percentage points.
Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, debated on Oct. 7, 2020.
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The seemingly different debate styles of President Trump and Vice President Pence are examples of the same thing, what a political communication scholar calls ‘authoritarian white masculinity.’
British Columbia’s Chief Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provides an update on the coronavirus pandemic on Sept. 20.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Women in visible leadership positions are subject to personal attacks as less competent and reliable than their male colleagues. Acknowledging this double standard is the first step in addressing it.
Chrystia Freeland became the Finance Minister after Bill Morneau resigned in the wake of the WE scandal.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Women are increasingly taking more visible senior roles in leadership. This reflects their ability to effectively manage difficult situations, as demonstrated by Chrystia Freeland and Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator from California, endorsed Joe Biden for president in March. Now she is his vice presidential nominee.
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Many African American women have run for president of the US, despite the enormous barriers facing both Black and female candidates. Biden’s pick puts a Black woman much closer to the Oval Office.
Grace Mugabe at the funeral of former president Robert Mugabe.
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Sexist slandering has been used not just to describe Grace Mugabe, but to denigrate any women who aspire to political positions.
San Francisco mayor London Breed declaring a shelter-in-place order early in the coronavirus pandemic, March 17, 2020.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Four decades after Ellen Craig-Jones of Urbancrest, Ohio, became the US’s first Black woman mayor, seven of the nation’s largest cities are lead by Black women. And what a time to be in charge.
“What would Julia do?” Julia Gillard smashed a glass ceiling as Australia’s 27th prime minister. She also transformed the way we talk and think about women in politics.
The first female president of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, at the Budapest Water Summit in 2016. She left office in 2018.
Szilard Koszticsak/EPA
Scholars say a ‘critical mass’ of representation is necessary to overcome ‘token’ status. That’s exactly what we saw at the Democratic debate in Atlanta.
Québec politician Catherine Dorion has been criticized for wearing informal attire in the provincial legislative chamber.
Québec national assembly
Québec Solidaire politician Catherine Dorion sparked controversy with her garb in the provincial legislature but this issue has caused uproars in parliaments around the world.
After winning the right to vote in 1893, New Zealand’s suffragists kept up the battle, but the unity found in rallying around the major cause had receded.
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New Zealand was the first nation to grant women the vote in 1893, but during the pre-war years enduring prejudice against women in politics outweighed any support for women to stand for parliament