An inspiring history of all the women who have taken a seat in Congress! For the first 128 years of America’s history, only men served in the Senate and House of Representatives. All that changed in January 1917 when Jeannette Rankin was sworn in as the first woman elected to Congress. From the women’s suffrage movement to the 2018 election, Ilene Cooper highlights influential and diverse female leaders who opened doors for women in politics. Women featured include Nancy Pelosi (the first woman Speaker of the House), Margaret Chase Smith (the first woman elected to the Senate), Patsy Mink (the first woman of color to serve in the House), and newcomers like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. This updated book includes archival photographs and lively illustrations from Elizabeth Baddeley, as well as a chart of all the women who have served in Congress, appendices that define key terms and governmental procedures, and an index. In a great new reading format, this updated, revised edition is perfect for young feminists!

A photographic celebration of the women of the 116th—the most diverse Congress in American history. The first woman Speaker of the House. The first female combat veteran. The first Native American women. The first Muslim women. The first openly gay member of the Senate. These are just some of the remarkable firsts represented by the women of the 116th Congress, the most diverse and inclusive in American history. Just over a century ago, Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first and only woman in the House of Representatives. By the time of the 116th Congress, a total of 131 were seated in both chambers. The 2018 midterm elections brought a seismic change—and this book, a collaboration between New York Times photo editors Beth Flynn and Marisa Schwartz Taylor and photographers Elizabeth D. Herman and Celeste Sloman—documents the women of the 116th Congress, photographed in the style of historical portrait paintings commonly seen in the halls of power to highlight the stark difference between how we’ve historically viewed governance and how it has evolved. Also featured are an illustrated timeline and list of firsts for women in Congress; “Her Vote, Her Voice” sections throughout that highlight historical moments in female politics; and an extended introduction and foreword by Roxane Gay. The Women of the 116th Congress is a testament to what representation in the United States looks like in the twenty-first century—and an inspiration for what it may look like in the years to come.

Traces the history of women legislators in Congress, providing an overview of the achievements and progress of women in the House and Senate during three separate periods in history, and including the personal stories of congresswomen who served in each different era.

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Women's National Book Association Eighty Books for 21st Century Girls selection

The presence of women in Congress is at an all-time high -- approximately one of every five members is female -- and record numbers of women are running for public office for the 2018 midterms. At the same time, Congress is more polarized than ever, and little research exists on how women in Congress view their experiences and contributions to American politics today. Drawing on personal interviews with over three-quarters of the women serving in the 114th Congress (2015-17), the authors analyze how these women navigate today's stark partisan divisions, and whether they feel effective in their jobs. Through first-person perspectives, A Seat at the Table looks at what motivates these women's legislative priorities and behavior, details the ways in which women experience service within a male-dominated institution, and highlights why it matters that women sit in the nation's federal legislative chambers. It describes the strategies women employ to overcome any challenges they confront as well as the opportunities available to them. The book examines how gender interacts with political party, race and ethnicity, seniority, chamber, and district characteristics to shape women's representational influence and behavior, finding that party and race/ethnicity are the two most complicating factors to a singular narrative of women's congressional representation. While congresswomen's perspectives, experiences, and influence are neither uniform nor interchangeable, they strongly believe their presence matters in myriad ways, affecting congressional culture, priorities, processes, debates, and outcomes.

Contains profiles, contextual essays, historical images, and appendices that provide information about the 229 women who have served in Congress from 1917 through 2006.