Political Inequality

   Women appear to be participating in elective politics at an increasing rate. Recently, the number of female governors, attorney generals, and mayors have been growing. Some increases have occurred at the national level as well. Although women constitute more than half of the population, they hold a small portion of important political positions. Women occupy only 13.8% of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Women in Congress have seldom risen to positions of power. The record for women in appointed offices are also small. President Clinton was the first to appoint women to a cabinet. President Regan was the first to appoint a women as Supreme Court justice. To this day, only a small percentage of federal judges are women. The number of women holding public office in the United States is among the lowest in the Western world.