Quick News

"Perry’s campaign shows us that there are intelligent, qualified Republican women who have what it takes to run and win. But for these women to do so, the Republican Party, PACs, and donors must step up and support them."

"Being a politics major, most of the intellectual spaces available to me are dominated by men, so working with a team of driven and intelligent women at RepresentWomen is refreshing. I look forward to learning something new from all of them."

"Being a woman who wants to go into politics, I’ve always been acutely aware of the representation gap we face. However, I don’t think I truly saw all of the benefits increased representation can bring until this year."

"I remember that when I was in sixth grade, my teacher told me that I should stop being so “bossy”, otherwise people would not like me. After getting angry and complaining about why she didn’t say the same to the boys, one of my classmates called me a “feminist”. Neither of them meant those descriptions in a good way, obviously. The indignation I felt in that moment is something that has followed me throughout the years, motivating my decisions and actions. With time I learnt to not only appreciate the term “feminist”, but to use it as a banner."

"Being a female athlete all my life and now at the collegiate level, very few women have coached me. Yes, it is true that more and more women are coaching women, but people often forget that almost no women are coaching men. After playing basketball up until college, it had always stuck out to me is that there were little to none women coaching men’s basketball. In politics and athletics, there are too many firsts that have not occurred yet for women."

While there are several reasons I believe in efforts to support female candidates, my semester abroad in Costa Rica gave me a new perspective on gender parity pursuits. Studying their electoral system and gender quota laws prompted me to consider what institutional reforms would look like in the United States and strengthened my dedication to advocacy surrounding this topic. 

The Wisconsin State Journal had a very interesting piece about women's representation in the first state to ratify the 19th amendment:

Africanews.com reported that the government of South Africa now has a gender balanced cabinet joining Rwanda and Ethiopia - which is very exciting news: South Africa’s cabinet announced on Wednesday became the third on the African continent that has an equal number of female and male ministers.

The Washington Post had a very interesting story about the nation's first majority-female legislature: Since Nevada seated the nation’s first majority-female state legislature in January, the male old guard has been shaken up by the perspectives of female lawmakers. Bills prioritizing women’s health and safety have soared to the top of the agenda. Mounting reports of sexual harassment have led one male lawmaker to resign. And policy debates long dominated by men, including prison reform and gun safety, are yielding to female voices.

There was a fascinating article in The Times of Dublin about the National Women's Council of Ireland's call for gender quotas in local elections - another reminder that other nations are leading the conversation about innovative systems reforms to advance women's representation and leadership: