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The Changing Face of Politics 315

violent messages that are so prevalent in the mass media, including video games, it is dif-
ficult to be optimistic that a change will come any time soon.
Our next topic, women in politics, however, gives us much more reason for optimism.

The Changing Face of Politics 10.6 Discuss changes in gender

and politics.
Women could take over the United States! Think about it. There are eight million more
women than men of voting age. But look at Table 10.3. Although women voters greatly
outnumber men voters, men greatly outnumber women in political office. The remark-
able gains women have made in recent elections can take our eye off the broader picture.
Since 1789, about 2,000 men have served in the U.S. Senate.
And how many women? Only 44, including the 20 current
senators. Not until 1992 was the first African American woman
(Carol Brown) elected to the U.S. Senate. It took until 2013
for the first Asian American woman (Mazie Hirono) to be
sworn in to the Senate. No Latina has yet been elected to
the Senate (National Women’s Political Caucus 1998, 2013;
Statistical Abstract 2013:Table 421).
We are in the midst of fundamental change. In 2002, Nancy
Pelosi was the first woman to be elected by her colleagues as
minority leader of the House of Representatives. Five years
later, in 2007, they chose her as the first female Speaker of the
House. These posts made her the most powerful woman ever
in Congress. Another significant event occurred in 2008 when
Hillary Clinton came within a hair’s breadth of becoming the
presidential nominee of the Democratic party. That same year,
Sarah Palin was chosen as the Republican vice-presidential
candidate. We can also note that more women are becoming
corporate executives, and, as indicated in Figure 10.4 (on page
307), more women are also becoming lawyers. In these posi-
tions, women are traveling more and making statewide and
national contacts. Along with other social changes that give Hillary Clinton broke through the
women more freedom, such as more people seeing child care as the responsibility of both glass ceiling in politics when she
mother and father, it is only a matter of time until a woman occupies the Oval Office. was elected senator from New York.
She also came close to being the
Democratic nominee for president.
She is shown here in her position as
Secretary of State, meeting with Arab
TABLE 10.3 U.S. Women in Political Office leaders in United Arab Emirates.

Offices Held by Women Offices Held By Women
(Percentage) (Number)
National Office
U.S. Senate 20% 20
U.S. House of Representatives 18% 77
State Office
Governors 10% 5
Lt. Governors 22% 11
Attorneys General 16% 8
Secretaries of State 24% 12
Treasurers 16% 8
State Auditors 12% 6
State Legislators 24% 1,779
Source: Center for American Women and Politics 2013.