Slowly But Surely: The Queens of Capitol Hill

From Katherine Blanco to Michelle Obama, the United States has always had a rich history of powerful women being both the backbone of our government, and the heart and soul of our country.
With the swearing in of Minnesota Senator, Tina Smith, on January 3, the count of women in the U.S. Senate has risen to a record breaking, 22.
The truth of the matter is that the United States, the leader of innovation and equality in the free world, is behind the curve when it comes to female presence in its governing bodies.
For every state, there are two senators. Between Congress and the House of Representatives, there are 100 senators currently occupying Capitol Hill. That means that only 22 percent of the Senate is composed of women, a staggering number considering how women in America outnumber men by over 4 million.
In a country where we pride ourselves on being a role model for countries with significantly lower standards for women’s rights, these numbers show just how much more work must be done to achieve fair representation for all, especially in politics.
Baton Rouge only recently received its first female mayor-president, Sharon Weston-Broome, who is actively advocating for the women of Baton Rouge.
“Sometimes, I have felt underestimated,” Broome admits. “Because let’s face it—politics, for the most part, has been pretty much a male-dominated environment. And while there are certainly men who accept women as leaders, there are still some who wonder if a woman can govern effectively [. . .].”
In the workplace, women trail behind men, both in respect and numbers.
19-year-old Mass Communications major, Kiyana Givens, spoke of the gender inequality, stating, “Men know that we are equal and that we can do anything that they can do, and this is just another example of that.”
Givens, like many young women born around the turn of the century, is very aware of women’s rights, or the lack thereof, in this country.
On the other hand, the voice of dissatisfaction is also profound in many of the young women on Southern’s campus.
“I feel as if it’s harder for women to obtain a government position. They look at us as though we are weaker, fragile, and less capable of doing anything that a man can do,”
Destiny Burl, a 20-year old early education major commented on the fact that only roughly 25 percent of the senators to ever serve in the senate have been women.
While many media outlets infer that women are satisfied with the progress being made in the country, it is imperative for people to realize that they are well aware of the advantage of their male counterparts, and are not complacent.
“Tammy Duckworth will be the first woman to serve in the Senate and give birth during the same timespan. Maybe we need to make it easier for women to know they can run for office,” Dr. Toadvine, an English professor at Southern University suggested.
If we are to correct the lack of female representation in our government, then the first step, as Dr. Toadvine alluded to, will be to make capable female candidates more aware that they have the opportunity to run, and win, high ranking political offices.
Times are changing in this country, and in this world, faster than ever before. For this reason, this country needs every capable man and woman working together to maintain and improve this country we all love.