How To Get More Women in Politics—And Why It’s So Important

This equation needs to be changed: Women make up roughly 51 percent of the population, yet only 20% of Congress is made up of women. The good news is that there’s a record-breaking number of women now running for office (with 476 House candidates this year, according to a recent New York Times story). 

Having a Congress that more accurately reflects the population will help push legislation forward to better reflect women’s wants and needs, such as supporting equal pay or pushing for mandatory parental leave or gaining greater protection against sexual harassment.

The Female Quotient and WeWork hosted their first-ever Women in Politics Dinner in New York City to amplify the need for equal representation. I sat down with Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa (Hawaii), Congresswoman Mia Love (Utah), and Congresswomen Grace Meng (New York) for a panel discussion about their paths to politics, how to get more women to run, and strategies for shifting mindsets. Here are some of the top lessons learned from our unplugged conversation:

Support Other Women “Women, please do not be hard on other women. We tend to be hardest on ourselves, but we have to stop that and encourage and support each other to help the next generation to feel empowered.” ~Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa

Believe That You Already Have What It Takes “As women, too many times we think we don’t have what it takes. Let me tell you, you have what it takes and then some! We all have unique gifts, experiences, and talents. And they’re meant to be used for the betterment of society. You have an obligation and a responsibility to be able to use those gifts so that you can help.” ~Congresswoman Mia Love

Create The New Norm “We need to change the mindset and the standard of what we think a politician, a leader, or a CEO looks like. I remember during my first campaign for Congress, I was putting my son to bed, who was then 5, when he said to me, ‘Mommy, are men allowed to run for Congress?’”~Congresswomen Grace Meng

Share The Caregiving Responsibilities “The other part of the equation is that my husband is willing to be an equal parent to me. I’m so grateful for having a man who is comfortable enough with himself and with me and knows I’m capable of doing all of these things.”~Congresswoman Mia Love

Strive For Equality “I think we need more women in Congress to encourage other women to run for Congress and be part of the solution. But I think it shouldn’t really make a difference. It shouldn’t matter if you’re a woman or man because we’re equally represented. The reason we should strive for gender equality is so that Congress can be truly gender neutral.” ~Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa

How do you think we can get more women into office and help balance the gender equation? I’d love to hear your solutions in the comments below.