Women in Politics

After the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings in the early nineties, an unprecedented number of women ran for public office. Has that enthusiasm waned? Let’s look at California. There are 120 state lawmakers in Sacramento and about a quarter of them are women. But it looks like that number will shrink after the next election. The same trajectory is playing out in California’s Congressional delegation. A decade ago, California was represented by 31 women in Congress. Now there are 19. Three of them will be leaving at the end of this term, and two are likely to be replaced by men. Why are so few women seeking office these days?