On January 21st, 2021, the first female vice president of the United States was sworn into office. Though monumental, the fight for women in politics is far from over. Of the 244-year history of the United States, not one woman has served in the nation’s highest office. The US ranks 128th of 193 countries with a score of 17 on the political parity score (measure of women’s representation in government where a score of 100 represents women having at least 50 percent representation in all levels of government) (Council on Foreign Relations). In the US, women in governmental bodies make up less than women in the clergy (19.4% to 20.6%, respectively) (NPR). Several factors contribute to the lack of women in government including tangible economic, cultural, and social barriers that further disqualify and discourage them from pursuing political leadership (NPR).
Overall, institutional discrimination and failures are to blame for the lack of women in government making the issue an intentional cause. In the United States, campaign finance laws, or the lack thereof, put women at a significant disadvantage compared to their male counterparts. Because women make less than men on average, funding is a burden to many women running for office. Additionally, women face social and cultural barriers (stereotypes, societal misogyny, etc.) as well as legislative barriers like unpaid maternity leave and the lack of family-oriented policies. Subsequently, women lack the same networking and mentoring support that men have access to, further discouraging many women from pursuing office.
While the issue is highly complex, the most effective measures to address political parity in the United States are inducements, capacity builders and systemic changes. Changes should occur on the state and/or federal level. Following the lead of many countries around the world, federal campaign reforms could offer inducements for political parties with more gender-equal tickets. Additionally, women should have access to and knowledge about mentoring and networking groups. Subsequently, the benefits of women in government should be made more widely known to the general public to counteract stereotypes and sexist bias. Finally, paid maternity leave must be enacted to provide a more inclusive environment for working parents, especially those within government (like expansion of FMLA and house resolution 1158 or the FAMILY Act).
Addressing Exigence, Rhetorical Situation and Audience
Exigence can be defined as the urgency, importance, timeliness, or usefulness of a subject, thus, I believe this topic fits the criteria. As I addressed in the first paragraph, substantial gains have been made by women in politics in very recent history (first female vice president and record breaking number of women in both chambers in 2020). The rhetorical situation created by Vice President Harris’ swearing in and the 2020 election results set the stage for increased action for women. It is incredibly essential, then, that the fight for political parity is not overlooked. Over the past century, gender equality in politics has been slow. In other words, the fight is long from over. Thus, tangible change is necessary to increase political parity in the United States.
In my issue brief, I plan to address the shocking lack of women in politics specifically in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I will propose three key solutions to increase political parity in our state: changing local/state campaign finance reform (systemic change), improving work/family policies (systemic change), and encouraging state parties to set quotas for candidates (self-administered, voluntary mandates via capacity builders). These approaches address disparities at the local and state level, by targeting state legislatures and both political parties within the state. Narrowing my issue brief from a national problem to a state problem allows me to tailor my argument to a state that needs more attention than others regarding political parity.
Sources
https://www.cfr.org/article/womens-power-index
https://www.npr.org/2016/06/11/481424890/even-with-a-female-presumptive-nominee-women-are-underrepresented-in-politics?t=1615750914063
I think this is a great topic and I agree that women deserve to be more respected and that is is a systemic issue. I look forward to reading more on your brief.
Thank you for your feedback! I will definitely address the systemic barriers for women in my issue brief!
I definitely agree that themes effective means of addressing parity are capacity builders and systemic changes. My hope is that capacity builders and systemic changes make the need for inducements completely obsolete. It is also possible, however, for inducements to be the enablers of capacity builders.
Thank you! I will consider inducements while I conduct my research. I had not looked at it that way (inducements enabling capacity builders) so I appreciate your feedback!
I think this topic is such an important one! Discrimination against women in politics and in the workforce in general is undeniable, and though we have made steps toward mending this, there is a long way to go. I can’t wait to see how you tackle this issue!
Thank you! I also believe it is very important. I will address systemic discrimination, but also social and culture barriers as well because I believe they work in tandem. More action can definitely be taken to address political parity!