For 101 years now, the League of Women Voters has been a force. Led and driven by the strength, passion, and temerity of women, we have been changemakers in our communities for over a century. Today, on International Women’s Day, we celebrate women making history.
We celebrate all of the women who have broken barriers, stood up for their rights and the rights of others, held their space, used their voice, and broken glass ceilings. We celebrate the women who not only forged new paths and opened new doors, but who also looked behind them to bring the next woman forward.
This year proved that the glass ceiling can be broken. Following this election cycle, more women have opened more doors at the state and national government levels than ever before.
Women of color now hold 48 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have set new records in this election cycle—25 of these women are Black women, 13 are Latinas, 8 are Asian or Pacific Islander women, 2 are Native American women, and 1 is a Middle Eastern woman. And Kamala Harris now holds the highest position of any woman in American history as the first woman and woman of color to become Vice President in the United States.
This is incredible progress, but women are still not represented equally. Counting both the House of Representatives and the Senate, 144 of 539 seats – or 27% – are held by women. That represents a 50% increase from the 96 women who were serving in the 112th Congress a decade ago, though it remains far below the proportion of women in the overall U.S. population. There is so much more opportunity for us to build equitable representation.
Join us in honoring the incredible women in your life. Donate today.
We will continue to seek out opportunities. We will take up space. Be heard. We will crush glass ceilings. We will lead with vocal, visible, advocacy. We will lead with quiet strength and determination. We will look backward and extend a hand to the next woman, so she does not have to forge the paths we have already forged. We will lead by raising up not only our own voices, but the voices of others who must be heard.
And, together, we will drive the changes needed to create a truly inclusive and just environment where women and all people are able to realize their full potential and shape the future of our democracy for years to come. Please give generously today in honor of all women.
In League,
Stephanie Doute, CAE
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of California
