Year of the Woman
TheYear of the Womanwas a popular label attached to 1992 after the election of a number of femalesenatorsin theUnited States.[1]The term has also been used with respect to the2018 House elections,in which a record 103 women were elected, 90 of whom were Democrats.[2][3]
Background
[edit]The hotly contested Senate confirmation hearings forSupreme CourtnomineeClarence Thomasinvolving the allegations ofAnita Hillraised the question of the dominance of men in the Senate.[1]
Election
[edit]In 1991, the Senate included two female members, but neitherNancy KassebaumofKansasnorBarbara Mikulskiof Maryland served on theJudiciary Committee.Reportedly,WashingtonState senate memberPatty Murraydecided to run for election after watching these hearings.[1]
While Murray set out to raise the necessary funds, two other women several hundred miles to the south inCaliforniabegan work on their own Senate campaigns. As a result, on January 3, 1993, for the first time in American history, California became the first state in the nation to be represented in the Senate by two women. In the 1992 elections,Dianne Feinstein,a formerDemocraticmayor ofSan Francisco,running for the balance of an uncompleted term, beat her opponent with a margin of nearly two million votes, whileBarbara Boxer—a 10-year veteran of theU.S. House of Representativeswho had joined six of her Democratic women colleagues in a march on the Senate to urge greater attention to Anita Hill's charges—solidly won a full term.[1]
At a presidential debate at theUniversity of Richmond,PresidentGeorge H. W. Bushwas asked when his party might nominate a woman for President. Bush, noting that the women running that year were predominantly liberal Democrats, stated "This is supposed to be the year of the women in the Senate. Let's see how they do. I hope a lot of them lose."[4]
A week after the election, a popularWashington Postphotograph illustrated the situation. Standing with exultant DemocraticMajority LeaderGeorge Mitchellwere not only Murray, Feinstein and Boxer but alsoCarol Moseley Braunof Illinois, the first black woman elected to the Senate. Never before had four women been elected to the Senate in a single election year. (Five, if Mikulski's successful re-election bid that year is counted.) Within months, another woman senator would join them:Kay Bailey Hutchisonof Texas, who won a special election in June 1993.[1]
When the newcomers joined incumbents Kassebaum and Mikulski in January 1993, headline-writers described the occurrence as "The Year of the Woman." In response, Senator Mikulski said, "Calling 1992 the Year of the Woman makes it sound like the Year of theCaribouor the Year of theAsparagus.We're not afad,a fancy, or a year. "[1]Mikulski predicted that, as more women joined the Senate, the novelty of a female senator would fade; as more women joined the Senate in the coming years, this prediction came true.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdefgSenate Historical Office (2018),"Year of the Woman",Art & History,United States Senate,archived fromthe originalon September 27, 2018,retrievedSeptember 28,2018
- ^Kamarck, Elaine (November 7, 2018)."2018: Another 'Year of the Woman'".Brookings.RetrievedSeptember 30,2020.
- ^"It was the Year of the Woman — but not on the Republican side".NBC News.RetrievedOctober 1,2020.
- ^John T. Woolley; Gerhard Peters (October 15, 1992)."Presidential Debate at the University of Richmond".The American Presidency Project.Santa Barbara, California: The University of California (hosted), Gerhard Peters (database).