Given the chance to vote for the first time in the March primary, 17 year olds turned out at a higher rate in Cook County than voters old enough to be their parents, according to a new study released today.

They called it the Year of the Woman. In 1992, four women were elected to the U.S. Senate —  fueled in part by outrage at the all-male Senate panel that had grilled Anita Hill.  Patty Murray of Washington state, famously denigrated as just a “mom in tennis shoes,” was one of them.

We invite you to read the full article published April 1, 2014

When it comes to women in the White House, Sarah Palin takes the cake in Americans’ eyes, a new poll found.

The Economist/YouGov poll asked participants which female candidate — other than Hillary Clinton — they’d like to see run for the high office.

Mrs. Palin won 9 percent of the vote, Breitbart reported.

We invite you to read the full article published March 31, 2014

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill shared her hard-earned advice and opinions about women in politics and leadership positions during a lecture on March 28, at Iowa State University.

McCaskill said she was aware of the polarized opinions regarding women in politics from a young age beginning with an eighth grade teacher she admired who tallied the aspiring politician’s faults.

We invite you to read the full article published March 31, 2014

The gaping underrepresentation of women of color on the political stage deeply undermines the American ideal of democratic representation.

That’s a conclusion reached by the Center for American Progress and detailed in an article titled, “Why We Need a Political Leadership Pipeline for Women of Color.”

The article, part of the Center’s Women in Leadership project, was unveiled during a panel event featuring prominent women of color scholars, organizers, and professionals.

California boasts two female senators.

We are the only state to advance women's reproductive rights in the last few years.

The state is rapidly moving forward on the Affordable Health Care Act and there has been paid family leave in California since 2002, though it is underused.

But don't be misled. Even here we have a political gender gap that is actually widening, not closing.