In 2020, women only led 20 out of the 193 countries. Having more women in politics is central to the advancement of our world. Women are not a minority, women make up almost half of the human population. It is essential that their perspective is just as equally represented in the government, so that laws are made with women in mind. With women in politics, issues that may have been put aside can be brought to the front. As more women enter the political sphere, gender equality is also being driven forward. Encouraging women to continue to enter politics is necessary, and highlighting the women that have made strides in the past is essential to progress.
Watch this video to learn about some groundbreaking women in politics:
Shirley Chisholm
Chisholm was the first African-American woman in Congress, and the first African-American and woman to run for president in the USA. In 1964, Chisholm became the second African American woman to serve in the New York State Legislature. In 1968, she won a seat in Congress. Chisholm introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation to help advance racial and gender equality, to assist those in poverty, and to end the Vietnam War. Chisholm also founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 and in 1977 became the first African American woman to serve on the House Rules Committee. When Chisholm ran for the 1972 Democratic party presidential nomination she was allowed to make only one speech due to discrimination. Even then, Chisholm received 10% of the total votes in the primary election. After retiring from Congress, Chisholm continued to serve in politics by co-founding the National Political Congress of Black Women. She continued her work in politics for many years before retiring.
Source
Michals, Debra. "Shirley Chisholm." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2015. Date accessed.
Ilhan Omar
Omar is the first African refugee to become a member of congress, first woman of color to represent Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress. In 2016, she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she served as the Assistant Minority Leader. Omar was sworn into Congress in January 2019. She is fighting to help ensure a fair wage, invest in education, remove student-debt, create a better immigration system, and stop climate change. She also wants to help encourage more Americans to participate in democracy by building a more inclusive and compassionate culture.
Source
Organization Highlight: Vote Run Lead
Vote Run Lead is a non-partisan organization working to train women to run for office. It reaches over 36,000 thousand women across America and its alumni serve on many levels of the government, including Congress. They work to increase female representation at every level of government. Vote Run Lead has a supportive online community that helps empower women to run, ensuring that our government stays diverse.
Visit their site!