This week there was an interesting - if not somewhat familiar - piece in Vox by Sarah Kliff and Soo Oh - Why Aren't There More Women In Congress? which has very snazzy graphics but falls short of offering a robust set of solutions that address the panoply of structural and systemic obstacles to women's electoral success. The authors do conclude, however, with a key point that Representation2020 has been raising:

August 18th, 1920: a date that holds great significance in the history of our country and our Constitution. On this day 96 years ago, Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment, and as the 36th state to do so, effectively signed the Amendment into the Constitution, and thus, law.

Greetings from the New Jersey Pine Barrens and cheers to all of you who are doing such terrific work! There are now 225 people on this list! I hope that you will send along any articles or info about events that you would like shared with the list - and I will add it to my end-of-the-week missive!

Annabelle Timsit writes a great piece for Politico entitled Women in Charge: A New Record?  that's an excellent look at women's executive leadership worldwide - she concludes:

Without structural changes to the ways in which women are recruited into politics—whether parliamentary quotas or more equitable funding regulations—women are likely to continue to lag behind men when it comes to running for office. A 2013 American University study, for instance, found that 63 percent of college women asked about potentially running for office one day said they had “never thought about it,” compared to 43 percent of college men polled.

What a couple weeks it has been! I wish I had time to report on all of the great events and progress at both of the conventions but I am rushing out of the office to hop on yet another flight! Many thanks for all of the fabulous receptions, events, panels, and meetings that you helped to organize or support from afar.

You need no reminder from me that this last week was particularly momentous with the nomination of Hilary Rodham Clinton as the first major-party presidential candidate. This week was also the 97th anniversary of Arkansas ratifying suffrage - what symmetry!

This week marked the 168th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Women's Convention. I like to imagine the scene there on those hot days of July in upstate NY. The women in their long dresses and the men in their now-formal-looking attire rolling up their sleeves to write the Declaration of Sentiments and launch a movement for suffrage and equality. Frederick Douglass attended the sessions hosted by local Quakers whose homes were also used as stops on the Underground Railroad. Lucretia Mott's bold vision for equality and oratorical skills convinced many of those assembled to sign the Declaration.

July 19th marks the 168th anniversary of the first day of the Seneca Falls Convention. We often hear about the Founding Fathers of our country, but what about the Founding Mothers in the fight for women’s rights?

This is not to say that the fight for women’s rights started with the Seneca Falls Convention. It was, however, one of the first events that jump-started national support for women’s rights in a cohesive manner.

​While women, especially women of color, are undoubtedly underrepresented in all levels of American democracy, one group with an even lower level of representation in government is the transgender community. Though there is little data on the number of transgender people in the United States, a study by the Williams Institute of UCLA places the number at an estimated 0.6% of adults, or 1.4 million Americans.

Dear all,

One of the most (if not only?) upbeat stories of the week was the release of the new President and Vice President Barbie set. She Should Run teamed up with Barbie to send a clear message about women as leaders as Erin Loos Cutraro explains in a great piece in Fortune Why All the Women in Congress Are Getting Barbie Dolls Today.

By Maddie Kane

This summer marks a celebratory 97th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the Constitution. The 19th amendment granted (many, but not all) women the right to vote. This was a milestone piece of legislation that not only legitimized women’s opinions but also functioned as a cause which united women together.