Women in Politics You Should Know About

For years, a career in politics has been viewed as a man’s job. Women have been discouraged from running for office or working in a majority-male area of interest. There are many more men than women holding positions in office.

There are currently 26 women serving as Heads of State of government in 24 countries. At the current rate, gender equality in higher political positions will not be achieved for another 130 years. That is an incredibly long time to wait around for change to occur. 

There are many important women involved in politics that do not get the spotlight that they deserve. In this article, some inspiring modern-day women that will be highlighted include Liz Cheney, Jane Swift and Andrea Campbell.

Liz Cheney is an American attorney and served as a Republican Wyoming congresswoman in the House of Representatives. After the January 6th attack on the Capitol, Cheney was vocal in her disapproval of the president’s support of the march and his false claims regarding the election. Since Cheney stood up for her beliefs, it put her at odds with the rest of the Republican party and she was removed from office in May. This story is inspiring yet sad, because it shows how much harder it is as a woman to stand up for her beliefs in a “man’s job,” which essentially resulted in her losing her job. 

Jane Swift was the lieutenant governor in Massachusetts from 1999 to 2003. Swift was pregnant with twins when the governor at the time left to become an ambassador of Canada. This caused her to become the first female acting governor in the United States. Swift was only 36 years old, meaning she was not only the first female governor, but she was also the youngest female governor in all of United States history. Additionally, she was the only governor to give birth while in the position. 

Andrea Campbell was first elected as the District 4 Boston City Councilor on November 3, 2015. She represented the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan, and parts of Roslindale and Jamaica Plain. She served as the City Council president, resulting in her becoming the first African-American woman to serve in this specific role.

While working as Council President, Campbell required the Council to go through its first racial equity training in order to establish a deeper understanding of racism and racial inequalities in Boston’s past history in order to prevent history from recurring.

Her main goals have been to focus on issues of public safety, criminal justice, education, affordable housing and racial inequality. During her time serving as the Council president and in politics, Campbell has stood up for her beliefs and encouraged others to get out there and do the same. 

If you want to get involved yourself as either a woman or a supporter, there are multiple organizations that advocate for women’s participation in politics. These organizations have begun forming across the country for the sole purpose of giving women the courage to get involved or advice and support to even run for office themselves. Two examples of these organizations are “She Should Run” and the “Pocketbook Project.” 

The mission statement of the organization “She Should Run” states, “In order to reach equal representation in our lifetime, we need to build a Community of women who are curious about the possibilities of public leadership.” The statement itself is incredibly encouraging; they understand that the only way to accomplish equal representation is to get involved and to support others who are also interested in getting involved. 

The “Pocketbook Project,” founded by Jennifer Nassour, encourages women to get involved in politics as well and gives them the necessary resources in order to run for office. They support many women in office, regardless of party affiliation. 

Get out there. Get involved. Don’t let gender inequality discourage you. If you get out there, we can change viewpoints one person at a time.