Women send a message to leaders in government
Thankful for change
As we reflect on the 2018 midterm election results, there is a notable trend nationwide and in Pennsylvania. A record number of women ran for office and won seats at both the national and local level.
According to data acquired by the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics at Chatham University, the number of women in the Pennsylvania General Assembly will rise from 19 percent to about
25 percent. A total of 134 women ran for the General Assembly this year, and
63 won – 52 in the House and 11 in the Senate. In the state House where I serve, Democrats picked up 11 seats to make the count there 110 Republicans to 93 Democrats.
The 116th Congress will have at least 125 women serving, where women will represent 23 percent of total seats, reaching a step closer to Vision 2020’s goal of a 50-50 shared representation among men and women. In Pennsylvania, we will go from having no women in our congressional delegation to having four represent our southeast region in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 2010, I was the first woman elected mayor in the borough of West Chester. Since then, I have continued to work and promote women’s issues. After I was elected as state representative for the 156th Legislative District, I was appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf to serve on the Pennsylvania Commission for Women. The commission is a bipartisan organization that works as an advocate and advisor to the governor on policies and legislation that impact women; supports economic and civic opportunities for women; encourages mentoring programs for girls and young women; identifies programs and opportunities for the benefit and advancement of women; and serves as a resource center for Pennsylvania women.
Fortune 500 studies have shown that when a corporate board or leadership team reaches 30-percent women, the culture shifts to one that is more collaborative and solutionfinding, and the bottom line goes up by at least 6 percent. These are corporate studies, but I believe the same dynamics would apply when electing a critical mass of women to office.
2018 has been called the “Year of the Woman,” playing out at the ballot box with huge gains for women across our region, state and country. These gains set the stage for a much needed shift to a more collaborative, solution-finding culture in Harrisburg and Washington. To the Times:
I am very thankful that during this recent election we have elected a female congresswoman who cares for progressive values. I think that having representatives that support undertaking initiatives that are beneficial to the environment is incredibly important.
I encourage Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon to become a leader in the fight against climate change despite the federal backlash that has come about surrounding the topic.
As a Public Health major at Temple University I am constantly learning how the health of our environment and our community health are directly tied to one another. Climate change will directly affect the health of our environment – negatively. Now is a vital time for our congressional leaders to take action, protect our environment, and in turn, protect her constituents.
Climate change is a time-sensitive issue which is why I ask with urgency that Congresswoman Scanlon become a leader in the fight to protect our climate and environment.