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Female representation on the rise

by
Debbie Walsh

Representation matters. That’s not a motto. It’s not aspirational. It’s research. In their forthcoming book, “A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters,” CAWP scholars show, through interviews with more than 80 women members of Congress, that different experiences bring different perspectives – leading to different policy priorities.

It’s also more than the what of politics, it’s the how. Women do the business of governing differently, valuing bipartisanship and consensus, while focusing on policy outcomes over credit-seeking. Americans speak of progress toward equal representation as a victory for women. It isn’t. It’s a victory for everyone.

Debbie Walsh, Director, Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University

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