First Women in Congress

Critical Analysis

1. According to the data from the visual above, what year was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress?

2. According to the data from the visual above, what ethnicity was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress?

3. Overall, 57 Black women – among a total of 106 women of color – have ever been elected to the national legislature, counting both voting and nonvoting members of Congress. According to the data from the visual above, as of the current 118th congress, how many women of color are members of the U.S. Congress?

4. In 1992, female Senators got their first private restroom in the U.S. Senate, ending the time when, as one reported noted, female senators had to “miss an important vote because she was downstairs in line with the girls from a 4-H club.” Based on the data from the visual above, describe the trend since 1960 in the number of women of color in the U.S. Congress.

5. What is one consequence of this trend?

6. The vast majority of the women of color currently serving in Congress (58 of 61) serve in the House, either as voting or nonvoting members. Three are senators, all Democrats: Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois (who are Asian American) and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada (who is Hispanic). Based on your knowledge of the American political system, especially the way we vote, explain why the U.S. House is more represented than the U.S. Senate.

7. If the gender diversity of Congress is increasing so rapidly, explain why women now have lost the reproductive rights they once had guaranteed.

8. Based on the data from the visual below*, how many states, districts, or territories have ever had a woman of color represent them?

9. Based on the data from the visual below*, has your state, district, or territory ever had a woman of color represent them?

10. According to the data from the visual below* most women of color in the Congress are Democrats. Why do you think that is?

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Learning Extension

Read this recent Pew Research Center story on women of color in Congress. And check out this interesting article: When Women Run They Tend To Win.

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Action Extension

Research how many women of color have ever represented your state in the U.S. House and Senate. Share your research in class or on line.

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Visual Extension*

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