Elections

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen is determined to achieve gender parity in her executive Commission amid resistance from member states. She is advocating for a balanced representation of men and women among EU commissioners. Despite legal limitations, von der Leyen's efforts highlight the ongoing struggle for gender equality within the political framework of the EU.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday her unwavering commitment to achieving gender parity within her executive Commission. Despite resistance from several of the 27 member states, she is determined to see a balanced representation of men and women running the day-to-day affairs of the EU.

The German politician is currently setting up her team for a second five-year mandate and has been pressuring national capitals to provide her with candidates that would allow for gender balance. In her first term, she managed to achieve near gender parity among EU commissioners.

Read here the full article published by DevDiscourse on 4 September 2024.

Image credits: DevDiscourse

CHICAGO — Only hours before Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president at the United Center in Chicago, six of the seven Black female chairs of their state Democratic parties — the highest-ever number of Black women state party chairs — gathered exactly a mile east of the convention hall at the interactive WNDR Museum.

Progress toward gender parity in politics slowed in 2024 — a quiet shift after a streak of record-breaking years for women’s political candidacies. While Kamala Harris makes history this year as the first woman of color atop a presidential ticket, some political organizers are hoping her candidacy will pull more women back into power.

After 2018 was dubbed a second “year of the woman,” — the first being in 1992 — marking a record number of women running for the highest offices in the country, women continued to reach new highs in the subsequent elections: 583 women ran for the House in 2020 and 2022, and 70 women ran for the Senate in 2022, according to data from Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics.

In 2024, those numbers dropped back down to 466 for the House and 52 for the Senate, a conspicuous decline after years of steady growth.

“Progress for women in politics appears to be slowing, if not stalling,” RepresentWomen warned in its 2024 Gender Parity Index last month, noting that women are still significantly underrepresented at all levels of U.S. government.

Read here the full article published by Politico on 23 August 2024.

Image by Politico

Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday with a sweeping, pointed speech in which she vowed to prosecute the case against Donald Trump and carry the country to a brighter and fairer future.

In an address that balanced optimism with scathing criticism of her opponent, Harris acknowledged her “unlikely” path to the nomination and extended her hand to voters of all political ideologies who believe in America’s promise. Harris would make history if elected – as the first woman, first Black woman and first Asian American woman to serve as president – but she instead focused on the history that the country could change in November.

“Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward – not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans,” Harris told thousands of Democrats in Chicago.

She then said to roaring applause: “On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination for president of the United States of America.”

Read here the full article published by The Guardian on 23 August 2024.

Image by The Guardian

Two high-profile Indian American women — Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Usha Vance, wife of Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance — are shining a spotlight on South Asian women in politics. They’re just two of 4.4 million Indian Americans in the U.S. — the largest Asian demographic identifying solely from one country, and an increasingly powerful voting bloc.

Indian Americans are also the most represented Asian demographic in elected positions, including mayors, school board members, state legislatures and, of course, the vice president of the United States. The five Indian American members of Congress even have a name for themselves: the Samosa Caucus.

Indian and South Asian Americans responded quickly and with tremendous fervor to the announcement of Harris as the potential Democratic nominee, leading to a “South Asian Women for Harris” Zoom call that drew nearly 10,000 people.

“I don’t think any of us could have imagined what we saw in the last couple of weeks,” says Anurima Bhargava, founder and director of Anthem of Us and one of the co-organizers of the Zoom call. “It’s been a really gorgeous and wonderful time, not only in terms of people feeling like they’re getting activated but also the ways in which women of different backgrounds have been helping each other and inspired by each other.”

Read here the full article published by GBH on 16 August 2024.

Image by GBH