Steering the Course: Women’s Influence on Our Shared Democracy

Hello all,

Before the fall semester starts and things get too busy, I want to acknowledge the upcoming US Presidential elections with some information about women's participation and roles. I got curious about the role of women in U.S. politics, and thought it would be worth sharing some of what I found.

American women won the right to vote in NY in 1917, and the nation finally ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. You can read more in the primary documents describing the long efforts needed to make this happen in the National Archives. As we work to ensure better representation and success of women in technology-related work, remember that the long fights are worthwhile!

American women turn out to vote: "Women have registered and voted at higher rates than men in every presidential election since 1980, with the turnout gap between women and men growing slightly larger with each successive presidential election." However, "In recent elections, the gender gap among the most educated citizens, those with a bachelor's or advanced degree, is nearly non-existent."

American women participate in national and state governments, but not yet in proportion to their share of the population: In 2023, women-identifying people made up 25% of the US Senate, 28.5% of the US House, 32.7% of state legislatures, 24% of state governors, and 48% of US federal cabinet-level positions, according to Pew Research reported data.

Women Trailblazers need to be remembered and appreciated. The NY Legislative Library celebrated women trailblazers last March, and many other websites offer their top trailblazers, like these examples: 6 Influential Political Female Trailblazers You Should Know About and Women’s History Month: Honoring the Many “Firsts” of African American Female Ambassadors.

We also must remember and appreciate that our democracy was influenced by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, as described by the Library of Congress blog The Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Constitution and by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy on their official website Influence on Democracy.

Each SUNY campus will likely have programming and student activities around the elections, and our communities will be filled with events as well. I encourage everyone to get involved, stay informed, and stay together!

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."

All the best,
Holly