History was made this week, with a record number of women in the U.S. Congress – 98 to be exact. There are now 20 women in the Senate and 78 in the House. No majorities, but an increasing presence.
I’m encouraged by this – as I believe the more our representatives mirror the population they represent, the more likely that balanced decisions will be made.
However, I must say I was disturbed by some of the chatter this week. There was speculation on the part of some newscasters and bloggers that more women would equate to more willingness to compromise, to get along, to be less adversarial. While I certainly hope that is the case, I am troubled that these critical leadership skills are being delegated to those of a certain gender. My expectation is that ALL our leaders, no matter what gender, are able to do these things, along with the ability to fight for what is right, to take quick action, to lead with both head and heart.
I’ve been on teams where, as the sole female, I was delegated the task of relationship building, keeping the peace, getting everyone organized, and doing more of the grunt work. This is the higher level version of getting coffee. While I may be really good at some of those things, I am also good at some other things that are typically seen as “masculine”. I want to contribute based on what is needed and what I bring, not on what your preconceived notion is of me because I am a female.
I am also troubled when we ask a few to represent the many. I’ve been in too many situations where, as the lone female, I was asked to speak for all women. This is an impossible task. Just ask any person of ethnic or racial minority, or minority of any sort – who is looked to as the “token”.
Back to the chatter – there was an interesting brouhaha about this photo, taken of the women in congress to commemorate the milestone of a historically high number of female delegates. Nancy Pelosi was chastised for having several members Photoshopped in to the photo, as they were late for the shoot. That doesn’t really bother me, but there is one thing that does. I looked long and hard for a photo of ALL the incoming female representatives – and could find none. Nancy – why can’t we be inclusive and include all women – not just those of democratic stripes?
