Women in Congress
2013 is almost over. While people often use this time to reminisce over what they have accomplished throughout the year, we at Imagine Leadership want to assess whether women command a significant presence to shape policy.
Gender gap has been a much-discussed topic for the past few years. Not only for CEO positions of Fortune 500 companies, but it is also present and relevant when considering elected officials influencing policy. Let’s consider: What is the tipping point for women in political leadership?
In the U.S. Congress alone, this year has been a startling year for gender diversity. This year began with a record number of women serving the U.S. Congress with an increase of 6 seats from the previous Congress. With 20 in the Senate and 78 in the House of Representatives elected to the 113th Congress, women comprised of about 18% of the 535 members in Congress.
While these figures serve as one benchmark of the number of women who have the capacity to shape politics in the national arena, how influential are women in the local political landscape?
Representation of women in local politics fluctuates from region to region. In City of Philadelphia, women currently serve in 5 of the 17 City Council positions. However, staff influence often greatly influence City Council leaders.
Based on a survey of the staff listed by each of the Philadelphia City Council members, about 58% of the staff were women. In most cases, namely for male Council members, women comprised of a significant portion of the staff.
While the roles of the staff can range from Chief of Staff to Special Assistant, these people are the closest to the Council members and the most knowledgeable of what the Council members do. For some of them, it is their responsibility to advise their respective Council members on the types of bills and issues to support and vote for, and the implications they may have for the City.
While their exact influence on their respective Council members’ voting record on bills that are to impact the City of Philadelphia is not clear, one thing is for sure: These same people are likely to maintain support for or dissent against issues consistent with certain beliefs and worldview associated with their identity as women and other intersections of their identity.
We hope that in the coming year, that even if the number of women elected to political positions continues to remain limited, we can encourage female staff of elected officials of any identity to support issues that foster the empowerment of women in our country.
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