Did first female-majority legislature in US make a difference?
Source: BBC
Nevada made history when it became the first state in the US with a female-majority legislature, with women holding 51% of the seats, in December 2018.
The moment was hailed as a great victory for women - but did having more women in power make a practical difference?
Here are five areas Nevada legislated on in 2019 - which commentators say were helped by the fact there were more women at the table.
1. Compensating firefighters who develop breast, uterine and ovarian cancer
Firefighters can be exposed to toxic contaminants and carcinogens at work - and studies like this one from the CDC show that firefighters have higher rates of cancer compared to the general population.
Nevada's law provides compensation for firefighters who develop cancers as an occupational disease - but certain types of cancer - including breast, womb and ovarian cancer - were not covered until recently.
"It had never been something that people thought of - but we have a lot of women serving as firefighters now," says Nicole Cannizzaro, the Senate majority leader. "They were exposed to the same types of chemicals - often cancerous - but were not covered for the same type of work as their [male] counterparts."
Click here to read the full article published by BBC on 4 March 2020.
Nevada made history when it became the first state in the US with a female-majority legislature, with women holding 51% of the seats, in December 2018.
The moment was hailed as a great victory for women - but did having more women in power make a practical difference?
Here are five areas Nevada legislated on in 2019 - which commentators say were helped by the fact there were more women at the table.
1. Compensating firefighters who develop breast, uterine and ovarian cancer
Firefighters can be exposed to toxic contaminants and carcinogens at work - and studies like this one from the CDC show that firefighters have higher rates of cancer compared to the general population.
Nevada's law provides compensation for firefighters who develop cancers as an occupational disease - but certain types of cancer - including breast, womb and ovarian cancer - were not covered until recently.
"It had never been something that people thought of - but we have a lot of women serving as firefighters now," says Nicole Cannizzaro, the Senate majority leader. "They were exposed to the same types of chemicals - often cancerous - but were not covered for the same type of work as their [male] counterparts."
Click here to read the full article published by BBC on 4 March 2020.
