LatinaLista — It’s safe to say that Congress is a mess these days with partisan machismo run amok.
Representatives Lorena and Loretta Sanchez from California are two Latina politicians paving the way for more Latinas and women to seek public office at the nation’s highest level.
Too many congressMEN are quick to make a whole lot of noise but slow to accomplish anything. So, that’s why a new study touting the effectiveness of female lawmakers is something that everyone should pay attention to.
…the preliminary conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Chicago, who say that on average, women in Congress introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors and bring home more money for their districts than their male counterparts do
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Researchers say that it’s probably because there is such a small number of female legislators that they feel they must work harder and accomplish more than their male counterparts — and they’re doing it.
Though there are only 93 female congressional members versus 441 male members, female congressional members are the biggest asset to Congress. In part due to the ability to sit down and work with different parties.
It’s no wonder that Democrats working on the Senate healthcare reform bill are counting on Sen. Olympia Snowe to be the one Republican that gives them their bipartisan goal in passing the bill.
“We find that, on average, women sponsor about three bills more per Congress per term than their male counterparts,” said Anzia. “They co-sponsor more bills than other members, and they also obtain more co-sponsors for their own bills.”
All of this sounds like a perfect solution to creating change in Washington — elect more women who are actually able to reach across the aisle to find shared solutions and aren’t so busy jockeying for position in front of a television camera.
When it comes to Latino politicians, this report was just icing on the pastel!
According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Latina politicians are especially hitting the road running for public office.
Between 1996 and 2007,the number of Latina elected officials grew faster than the number of male Latino officials – the number of Latinas increased by 74%, compared to 25% for male Latinos. As a result, the female share of all Latino elected officials grew from 24% in 1996 to 31% in 2007.
With research showing that women make more effective leaders — and honestly, who didn’t already know this — it’s time to encourage more women and girls to pursue public office and aspire to be all that they can be — regardless of their age!
