Statement of DC NOW in Honor of Women's Equality Day

On August 26, 2010 DC NOW celebrates the 90^th anniversary of the 19^th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, granting women the right to vote.  This historic event opened the door for women to have a voice in their government as fully enfranchised citizens. The much-publicized campaign for suffrage led to new opportunities for women to participate in aspects of society that were previously closed to them.  Women have continued to take our right to vote seriously and since 1980, women have been voting at higher rates than men.  Currently, there are more women than ever before serving in both chambers of the United States Congress.   Advancements in women’s participation in the public sphere allow DC NOW to celebrate events like the recent confirmation of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, making it the first time in history that three women have been on the court at the same time. 

While women have made some progress after a 72-year fight for suffrage and 90 years of voting rights, DC NOW recognizes the gaps in representation for women that persist today.  Elena Kagan will be only the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court in its entire history.  Currently, women are only 17 out of 100 senators, 74 out of 435 representatives, and eight out of 50 state governors.  Our own District doesn't fare much better, with only three of its 13 council members women and only one woman mayor in its history.  This low rate of female participation in government puts the U.S. behind 73 other countries, lower than much of the western world, but also behind countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

With women making up more than 50% of the U.S. population, it is essential that the government reflect this in order to represent their interests.  Without adequate representation, numerous bills that would benefit women and create equality in our society are stalled year after year, such as the Freedom of Choice Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and the Hyde Amendment, and many more.  Additionally, the U.S. stands virtually alone in not ratifying the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and it has not yet passed the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Ninety years after women won suffrage, there is still one major boundary to full enfranchisement right here in our nation’s capital. Washington, DC’s 600,000 citizens, a majority of whom are African American and about 53% female, still do not have a voice in the government that legislates over them. Women in DC have not celebrated voting rights for Congressional representation for 90 years, in fact both women and men in DC have not celebrated the right to vote for Congressional representation ever, and yet Congress must approve nearly all DC City Council legislation and its annual budget. Taxation without representation was the motto, the inspiration for the Revolutionary War, yet 600,000 American citizens in the District of Columbia are still taxed without representation.  DC NOW recognizes the importance of voting rights and adequate representation in government for all citizens and therefore calls on Congress to take the necessary steps to fully enfranchise DC's residents. 

Though women have made significant gains over the past 90 years, the underrepresentation of women in the U.S. government continues to be a serious issue that must be addressed for women to gain full equality in our society.  When women run for office, they are as likely as men to win the election and voter turnout for women matches or exceeds that of men in most cases.  What keeps women from gaining equality in government representation is that women are significantly less likely than men to both consider running for office and to take the necessary steps to do so.  And women who do run for office are more likely to run for a lower-level, local position.  DC NOW encourages women to use this important anniversary to strategize about running for office at any level or to support a feminist candidate's campaign in your district.  Visit the NOW Political Action Site to learn more about women candidates in races across the country http://www.nowpacs.org/.