[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 23, 1994

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, March 23, 1994, into the Congressional Record:
       The year of 1993 has been called the ``Year of the Woman'' 
     in American government. They now serve in record numbers in 
     the U.S. Senate (7) and the U.S. House of Representatives 
     (48), fill 20% of state legislatures, and occupy numerous 
     statewide elected offices, including key governorships in 
     Texas and New Jersey. President Clinton has appointed women 
     to six cabinet posts, and women account for 45% of his 
     government appointments. First Lady Hillary Clinton has 
     spearheaded the administration's efforts on health care 
     reform. Women are having a growing impact on government. 
     Women bring a different set of life experiences to the public 
     policy process. Many of them, for example, have personal 
     experience in fighting breast cancer, discrimination and 
     sexual harassment, and are eager to see these and other 
     issues addressed in the legislative process. My sense is that 
     women's influence in government and politics will continue to 
     grow, and that the country stands to gain from their 
     involvement.


                          women in government

       The number of women in government has increased 
     dramatically in the last decade, although they are still not 
     represented in government at a level proportionate to their 
     numbers in the general population. Women now hold 22% of 
     statewide offices, up from 10% in 1975. Four of the nation's 
     governors are women. Three women hold prominent positions in 
     Indiana's state government: Attorney General Pamela Carter, 
     State Treasurer Marjorie O'Laughlin and Auditor Ann Devore. 
     In 1993 there were 1,517 women serving as state legislators, 
     more than twice the number of women who served in state 
     legislatures ten years ago. The Washington State legislature 
     has the highest percentage of women, at 38%. More women are 
     also serving in local government. They now comprise 18% of 
     the nation's mayors, up from just 1% in 1971.


                             women's impact

       Clearly, women are having an impact on the legislative 
     process. A recent survey of state legislatures found that 
     women legislators introduce and vote for bills aimed at 
     improving the welfare of women and children at a far greater 
     rate than their male counterparts. They are also more 
     attentive to the impact that existing government programs 
     have on women--whether that means extending Medicare coverage 
     to mammograms or seeking gender equity in education.
       The 103rd Congress, with its 55 female members, approved 
     more legislation concerned with the particular interests of 
     women in its first session than any preceding Congress. 
     Thirty bills on women's issues were enacted last year, six 
     times as many as were passed in the last five sessions, and 
     dozens more have been introduced. Congress passed the Family 
     and Medical Leave Act and increased funding for Head Start, 
     child care grants and child support enforcement. Women in 
     Congress have led efforts to improve the health care system 
     for women and families, including an increase in women's 
     health research at the National Institutes of Health and the 
     creation of a Women's Health Research Center. Congress is 
     also working on a variety of other legislation of special 
     interest to women, including the Violence Against Women Act 
     and the Equal Remedies Act, which would remove the cap on 
     damages allowed victims of intentional gender discrimination.
       Differences between men and women in politics can be 
     overemphasized. Female politicians, like their male 
     counterparts, come from both the Republican and Democratic 
     parties and represent diverse constituencies with varying 
     concerns and priorities. Many men care deeply about social 
     issues too, and it can be argued that White House leadership 
     was critical to passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act 
     and other programs. Women in government do not agree on every 
     issue, nor do they spend all their time working on ``women's 
     issues.'' Even so, women are becoming a powerful force for 
     change, particularly on social issues. They are helping to 
     set legislative and spending priorities, and their proposals 
     are receiving increased attention.


                          challenges for women

       Women in government continue to face many challenges. 
     First, women still do not occupy many positions of power. 
     Part of the problem is seniority. In general, women have 
     entered office more recently than their male counterparts, 
     and have yet to work their way into leadership positions. For 
     example, no women chair committees in the House of 
     Representatives although a few women serve in leadership 
     positions in both parties. Second, partisan and ideological 
     differences as well as home district concerns frequently 
     create obstacles to unity and the formation of an effective 
     voting bloc. Some suggest that women need to be more unified 
     and organized if they want to become more effective. Third, 
     women in government still encounter sexism and discrimination 
     in the workplace. While many voters have shown at the ballot 
     box that they support women as politicians, there are people, 
     including those in government, who resist the idea of women 
     in government, particularly when women are in leadership 
     positions. This attitude can serve to limit the effectiveness 
     of women politicians, although my experience has been that 
     the situation is improving. I am impressed by the savvy and 
     tenacity of many of my female colleagues in Congress.


                               conclusion

       Women have made tremendous gains in politics and government 
     over the last twenty years, but they still have a ways to go 
     before their presence in politics reflects their presence in 
     society. If current voting trends continue, women will 
     eventually achieve what many call a ``critical mass'' of 25-
     30% of the representation in Congress and in state and local 
     governments around the country--when their number will 
     constitute a powerful political force in the legislatures.
       Women continue to face resistance as they scale bastions of 
     power. The power structure in this country still remains 
     overwhelmingly male. No woman in the United States has yet 
     become a spokesman for her party in the same way that 
     Margaret Thatcher did in Great Britain and no woman has yet 
     achieved a national constituency. The intriguing question is 
     what difference does it make that more American women are 
     coming into politics. In a sense women have been preoccupied 
     with participation and we have not yet seen enough women in 
     office to make a judgment about their overall impact.
       As more women serve in government, their influence in all 
     areas of public policy, including finance, foreign affairs, 
     and economic development, will grow, and the country will 
     benefit. In the meantime, women representatives continue 
     moving up the ranks in local, state and federal government.

                          ____________________