“Women’s History Month: Women In The Senate”

March is National Women’s History Month.  This celebration began in 1979 as a school project in one California community and has since spread nationwide.  Every year since 1987, Congress has passed a resolution honoring the significant contributions women have made to our nation in every field of endeavor.    The theme of National Women's History Month for 2010 is “Writing Women Back into History.”  The focus of this year’s celebration is to recognize the importance of including women’s accomplishments and experiences in textbooks and other educational materials.   To celebrate this month, I recently participated in a panel discussion sponsored by the United States Capitol Historical Society on the topic of “Women in the Senate.”  Other panelists were Senators Dianne Feinstein of California, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.  The moderator was the award-winning journalist and author Cokie Roberts.

 

I always enjoy discussing the role of women in the Senate.  It gives me the opportunity to point out that our state of Maine is one of just three – along with California and Washington – that has two women senators.  This topic also allows me to educate others about the legendary Maine Senator, Margaret Chase Smith.  From the first time I met Senator Smith, when I was a senior in high school, she has been my role model in public service. 

 

To young women of my generation across the country, the Great Lady from Maine was an inspiring figure.  When we first ran for the offices we now hold, Senator Olympia Snowe and I did not have to convince our constituents that a woman could represent them well in the Senate.  Margaret Chase Smith had blazed that trail.  She was the first woman elected to both the House and the Senate, and the first to have her name entered into nomination for President by a major party.

 

This woman of so many firsts, of so many accomplishments, is remembered for so much.  One of my favorite quotes is her response to the question of what is woman’s proper place. Her famous reply was: “Everywhere.”

 

We who serve today are fortunate to be following the trails blazed by such women.  It is our obligation to extend and widen that trail for the next generation of women who will lead our communities, states, and country.

 

I do not subscribe to the notion that there are so-called “women’s issues.” National defense, energy, taxation, the environment, education – all affect women as well as men.  Of course, the experiences of women often can bring a fresh perspective to an issue.

 

Women have achieved much in the Senate. Despite our accomplishments, I am concerned that the infamous “glass ceiling” or “marble ceiling” as it is called in Washington, although cracked, has yet to be demolished.  This year, women hold fewer than 25 percent of the seats in state legislatures across the country.  We hold just 17 percent of the seats in Congress, both House and Senate.  Out of 50 states, only six have women governors.

 

After some substantial gains during the 1980s, the number of women in public office has leveled off.  Why they decline as the legislative work moves from the state capital to Washington, and why the glass ceiling is so thick in the state-level executive office are questions women should be asking.  With 51 percent of the voting-age population, those are questions women can answer.

 

In 2001, I joined my eight women colleagues – Senators Snowe, Mikulski, Hutchison, Feinstein, Boxer, Murray, Landrieu, and Lincoln – to author Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate.  I am encouraged that the number now stands at 17, but we still are counting.  With the accomplishments and contributions of women gaining the notice they deserve in our history books, I believe the young women of today will find the confidence to step forward as the leaders of tomorrow.

 

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