If you’ve been watching the news lately, you may have noticed a lot of women being sworn into congress this month. These passed midterm elections saw a record breaking number of women being elected to political office. Many of these women are from communities of color, identify as LGBTQ, or are mothers making this the most diverse Congress ever. This is an exciting time for women in government and proves just how smart, talented and powerful women can be.
Here are some of the most inspiring facts about these newly elected women.
More than 100 women were elected to congress
There are nearly 30 more women elected to congress this cycle as there were in 2016. This is a huge jump and so exciting! 102 women were elected to the House and 15 were elected or appointed to the senate.
These are some of the most diverse women ever elected
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Abby Finkenauer are the youngest women ever elected to Congress at the age of 29.
- Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids are the first Native American women ever elected to Congress
- Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are the first Muslim women elected to congress.
More than 20 House seats were won by women who were first time candidates
Lucy McBath, for example, lost her son due to gun violence 7 years ago and became a gun control activist, which ultimately inspired her to run for office and win. Her story is so inspiring and represents just one of the many amazing stories of these incredible women who now serve in our government.
23 new House members are people of color
This new class of Congress is being heralded as the most diverse ever thanks to some major strides by people of color. Ayanna Pressley is the first woman of color ever elected to the House from Massachusetts and Jahana Hayes is the first from Connecticut.
28 women in the new Congress have children under the age of 18
Mothers are superheroes and these moms in Congress are case and point. This has enacted important changes like putting changing tables into the members-only bathroom. Tammy Duckworth was the first senator ever to bring her baby to the Senate floor proving how incredible mothers are at multitasking.
These are just a few examples of the amazing progress being made in our government. Women are pulling up seats to the table at record numbers. It’s exciting to see a congress that looks more like the world we live in, full of people of all colors and genders and walks of life.
Elizabeth Endara is a writer, advocate, doula, educator and cat mom based in NYC. She loves Great British Bake-Off, Eastern Europe, snug coffee shops and writing about her feelings. She is excited to be working with liveyourdream.org helping to curate and tell stories that demonstrate the power of women!