New Hampshire is for the Ladies
By Jessica Hillyard - Nov 10th, 2008 at 11:00 amVia Feministe, another milestone of this historic election occurred in New Hampshire, where women now make up more than half of the elected members of the state Senate. Now that the state has 13 women in its 24 state senator positions, New Hampshire is the first state to have a majority of women serving in the state legislature.
Many people have been focused on the presidential ticket on Tuesday, but plenty of other progressive candidates and issues on ballots lost around the country. Sure, the case of Hillary Clinton’s ground-breaking presidential campaign, and the victories of women in other races this year are worthy of celebration.
The symbolic achievements of one or two women here and there barely make a dent in the representation of women in leadership positions, when women comprise not even one-fourth of state legislative seats collectively. In the upcoming 111th Congress, 17 seats in the U.S. Senate will belong to women. This is more than ever before, but still a dismal minority. Progress has been excruciatingly slow on the local and state levels.
With any luck, New Hampshire will not stand alone, and be joined by other progressive states that realize the importance of gender balance when it comes to leadership.
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