LatinaLista — According to the United Nations, “women make up less than 10 percent of world leaders. Globally less than one in five members of parliament is a woman. The 30 percent critical mass mark for women’s representation in parliament has been reached or exceeded in only 28 countries.”
Unfortunately, the United States is not one of those 28 countries.
A quick look at global rankings of national parliaments (congresses) issued each year by the Inter-Parliamentary Union — the most recent which were compiled last month — show that the United States ranks 79 out of 189 countries.
Yet, there’s hope on the horizon.
The 2012 Project at the Center for American Women & Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University announced that in 2012, more women filed to run for Congress than ever before — “291…and 7 more are expected to file — a big step up from the previous high of 262.”
That’s good news. Not just because it is on the road to creating gender balance in Congress but because of the attributes female politicians bring to the practice of politics:
Women make naturally good political leaders:
- Because of their effectiveness, openness and advocacy for issues that only they will put on the agenda;
- Because they introduce more bills, build broader coalitions and bring more resources to their districts.
- In an nutshell, women produce.
With so much at stake in these times, it’s a sad reality that more women aren’t in Congress now.
