Real Change for Women in Politics Requires Fixing Broken Systems

Excerpted from Real Change for Women in Politics Requires Fixing Broken Systems:

Aug. 26, Women’s Equality Day, marks the anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s certification—a milestone that granted American women the right to vote and expanded democracy in unprecedented ways. While it’s a victory worth celebrating, full enfranchisement happened later with the adoption of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, but it was never intended to be the end of the struggle.

One hundred and five years later, RepresentWomen’s new 2025 Gender Parity Index shows just how unfinished that work remains: Despite some gains for women in state legislatures, half of U.S. states still earn a “D” grade for women’s representation.

As Shaina Taub reminds us in the Broadway musical Suffs:

“Progress is possible, but it is not guaranteed,

It will only be made if we keep marching…

And rеmember every mother that you came from

Learn as much from our success as our mistakes

Don’t forget you’re merely one of many others

On the journey every generation makes

We did not end injustice and neither will you

But still, we made strides, so we know you can too.”

Those words resonate powerfully today. The 2025 Gender Parity Index shows that while strides have been made—with Maine, New Hampshire and Oregon earning an “A” this year—the U.S. is still far from true equality. More work is necessary.

You can read the complete Ms. article here.

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