Thursday night Hillary Rodham Clinton made U.S. history by becoming the first woman to be nominated for president of a major political party. Many are wondering if Clinton's achievement will have a lasting impact on boosting the number of women holding elected office in America.
104 women serve in the U.S. congress or 19.4 percent. The Texas' legislature has slightly more with 19.9 percent, but the national average is nearly one in four. One recent study from the Institute for Women's Policy Research showed that it would be more than 100 years before gender parity is reached in congress. In a country that is more than half women, why do we still see few women in elected office?
Pew Research center surveys show that in this country women are viewed has having equally good leaders in politics and business. Some studies show that party support and fundraising are lacking for female candidates.
Groups like Emily's list at the Federal Level and Annie's list here in Texas have been working for years to get women candidates funded, but many feel that there are still many institutional obstacles.
What are your thoughts about women running for office in America?
Guests:
- Sharon Navarro, associate professor of political science at the University of Texas San Antonio
- Cynthia Terrell, chair of the project Representation2020, a group raising awareness on gender and representation
