Issues

November 2004

More women in congress

The 2004 Election offered one ray of light for American women: as a result of the election, women's representation in the U.S. Congress is at an all time high. A record 82 women will serve in the 109th Congress when it convenes in January — 68 in the U.S. House, including 3 delegates, and 14 in the Senate. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, more women ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004 than ever before. A record 139 women had their names on this year's ballots.

This is good news, especially since women continue to be a minority in federal and state policymaking positions. Women are only 15 percent of the U.S. Congress and 22.5 percent of state legislatures. Even in the most balanced state legislature, Washington, women are only 37 percent of the legislature. Only nine states have female governors. This count may soon increase to 10 if Christine Gregoire wins a contested recount in Washington.

Women of color are also underrepresented across the board. Currently, no women of color serve in the U.S. Senate. In the U.S. House, there are only seven Latinas and 12 African American women. No Asian or Native American women serve in either chamber. Women of color are better represented at the state level, but are still a small minority. They comprise only 4.1 percent of all state legislatures. In addition, only five women of color hold elected executive offices: Jennette Bradley, lieutenant governor of Ohio; Denise Nappler, state treasurer of Connecticut; Susan Castillo, superintendent of public instruction of Oregon; Patricia Madrid, attorney general of New Mexico; and Rebecca Vigil-Giron, secretary of state of New Mexico. Much needs to be done to improve the political representation of women of color at all levels of the government. As more women enter office, they will have greater influence over the policies that affect their lives and can help create a more equal and women-friendly country.

Further Reading

To read about the newly elected women in Congress, "Election 2004 Wrap-Up" by Women's Policy. For an in-depth look at women policymakers nationwide, read "2004 Women's Leadership Profiles" by the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society.

Unmarried, but voting

The year's election saw a significant increase in voter turnout, particularly among women voters. One critical group of voters, unmarried women, which includes never married, divorced, separated and widowed women, turned out in higher numbers than ever before. This year, 7.5 million more unmarried women turned out than in 2000. While this group continues to be the largest demographic group underrepresented at the polls, their turnout in 2004 signifies an important change in the overall electorate and demonstrates unmarried women's potential as an influential voting block. According to Women's Voices Women Vote, data from exit polls show that unmarried women overwhelmingly supported Sen. John Kerry and a progressive agenda for the country. In fact, 62 percent of this group voted for Sen. Kerry.

In the months leading up to election, many groups, including AFSCME, focused on turning out this group of progressive voters. AFSCME spent $3 million in an independent expenditure campaign to reach this group. The Women's Rights department also created materials specifically addressing unmarried women's concerns.

Although Sen. Kerry lost the presidential election, the results of exit polls demonstrate that unmarried women are vital to the election of progressive, pro-working family candidates. Unmarried women are more likely to identify with working women and share their concerns than any other group. As candidates, unions and other groups look to future elections, their plans to win races must include outreach to unmarried women. More so than any other demographic group, these women have the potential to dramatically shift the country's political agenda once their power in the voting booth is fully realized.

Status of women in 2004 

Many U.S. women are experiencing improvements in their economic, political, social and health status, according to the newly released report, Status of Women in the States, by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR). Over the past 40 years women have advanced in these areas; however they still have not achieved total parity with men and continue to face disparities along racial and ethnic lines.

The report details progress of women in individual states and the nation as a whole. It assess women's status in five main areas: political participation, employment and earnings, social and economic autonomy, reproductive rights, and health and well-being. States (including the District of Columbia) are ranked in each area from 1 to 51 according to indicators develop by IWPR. The report also gives special attention to the experiences of women of color, particularly Native Americans.

Women of Color

Women of color continue to face large disparities in their political, economic, and social lives in comparison to white women. Nationally, women as a whole are more likely to register to vote than men in every state except Pennsylvania. However, Hispanic and Asian women are much less likely to register to vote and vote than women of other races or ethnicities. Minority women also continue to be underrepresented in political office (see above article: "More Women in Congress"). In five states, African American women earn as much or more than white women; in 17 states Asian American women do; in five states Native American women do; and in one state Hispanic women do. However, racial discrimination continues to compound the gender wage gap and poses serious barriers to employment, promotion and higher earnings for minority women.

Recommendations

The report makes several recommendations for state and federal policy makers, including enforcing pay equity laws, raising the minimum wage, and implementing and improving work and family polices, such as child care, universal pre-kindergarten, and paid sick leave. To improve women's political representation, IWPR stresses the need for policies and practices that encourage women, particularly women of color, to run for office. These include public campaign finance reform, recruitment of female minority candidates by political parties, and fair and equal media treatment of male and female candidates.

To learn about the status of women in your state, visit IWPR's website.

Don't keep a secret!

The AFSCME WomEnews is a great resource for mobilizing union women and motivating them to take action in their communities and workplaces. Use the information contained in the newsletter to talk with leaders in your local or council, including your women's committee, to devise ways the union can address issues that are important to you. Possible options include forming a committee to explore the issue, hosting a public meeting or event about the topic, or talking with management to create ways to deal with the issue in the workplace.

Distributed monthly, this newsletter should be shared with your union sisters and brothers. Or better yet — send us their names and email addresses at womensrights@afscme.org, and we will send them their own copy! Copies of earlier newsletters are available on the AFSCME website in the Women's Right Publications section.

WomENews is produced by the Women's Rights Department and written by Karen Swift.

Print Version