Graffiti Art

Victoria Claflin Woodhull the first woman candidatefor  President of the United States in 1872  from the Equal Rights Partysupporting women's suffrage.

In honor of Women's History month every post in March will be related to women's issues. The photos in today's post are of women who have run for President of the United States of America.  I encourage you to read about them. They will inspire you for sure.

Have you ever thought of running for your local government?  You should.

Every March in the US we celebrate Women's History month. I feel it is very important to speak about these issues because most young women today take their opportunity to learn and work for granted during a time when we are not yet equal. You can not celebrate a victory before the battle is over.  Our individual right to govern over own bodies and health is being debated by a political system run by a majority of old white males who are old fashioned and completely out of touch with women's needs today.



Facts to think about

According to the United States 2010 Census the number of females was 157 million while the number of males was 151.8 million.

According to the Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2010 46.2% of female citizens 18 and older reported voting in the 2010 congressional election, 45% of their male counterparts cast a ballot and 66.6% of female citizens reported being registered to vote.

The 2010 US Census also shows the median annual earnings of women 15 or older who worked year-round full time was $36,931, unchanged from 2009.

Shirley Chisholm in1972 she became the first major-party black candidate for President of the United States for theDemocratic party.

• Women hold only 17% of the seats in Congress.
• Only 22% of all statewide elective executive office positions are currently held by women.
• State Legislatures are only 24% women.
• Only 6 out of 50 states have a female governor.
• The United States trails behind much of the world—ranking 90th in the number of women in our national legislature.
• On average, male cabinet appointees outnumber women cabinet appointees in our states by a ratio of 2 to 1.
• 50% less women than men consider of running for office. Of those, 30% less actually run, with only a fraction seeking higher office.
• Women constituted 54% of voters in the 2008 elections, but only 24% of state legislators.
• Women of color represent only 4% of Congress and 23% of women Members of Congress.

• Of the 89 women serving in the 112th US Congress, 24 or 27% are women of color.
• From those, 13 are African American, 7 are Latina, 4 are Asian American and none in Native American.
• Of the 68 women serving in statewide elective executive offices 10, or 14.7% are women of color.
• Women of color constitute 4.7% of the 7,382 state legislators. (Source)

Lenora Branch Fulani the first African American toachieve ballot access in all fifty states receiving more votes for President ina U.S. general election than any other woman in history.

Gender stereotypes still play a huge role in the lack of progress woman have made thus far. Both male and female voters are much more judgmental about the appearance and style of a female candidate than of a male candidate. Although all candidates are judged on these attributes to some degree, women have a more difficult challenge in convincing voters to judge them on their merits rather than on their appearance. If a woman candidate is unmarried, both male and female voters perceive her as less likely to share their own family values. This needs to change and only you can make it happen.




Resources: Here is a wonderful list of resources where you can find more information, ideas, lesson plans, etc regarding Women's History month.

Read my post about Women's Equality Day

Read about the National Women's History Project 2012 honorees.

Read the Women's History Gazette

Check out the US government Women's History Month site

A Time Line of Women in Government

Read Women and the Economy 2010: 25 Years of Progress But Challenges Remain (August 2010 14 pages) prepared by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee

Federal Laws and Regulations of Interest to Working Women