2020年,,女性在美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)的選舉中取得了重要進(jìn)步,。
賀錦麗(Kamala Harris)將成為美國(guó)第一任女性副總統(tǒng),,同時(shí),,也是第一位有色人種副總統(tǒng)。今年,,以亞歷山大·奧卡西奧·科爾特斯,、伊爾汗·奧馬爾、艾亞娜·普萊斯利和拉希達(dá)·特萊布這四人組成的“小分隊(duì)”為代表,,有色人種女性在國(guó)會(huì)選舉中表現(xiàn)不凡,,節(jié)節(jié)獲勝,備受矚目,。新墨西哥州所有競(jìng)選眾議院席位的有色人種女性全部勝選,。科里·布什將擔(dān)任密蘇里州的第一位黑人女議員,。在第117屆國(guó)會(huì)中,,印第安女性的數(shù)量將創(chuàng)下歷史紀(jì)錄。
共和黨中的女性也備受關(guān)注,,有人將2020年稱(chēng)為共和黨“屬于女性的一年”,。
2020年的美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選是一個(gè)重要的里程碑:競(jìng)選國(guó)會(huì)議席的女性候選人數(shù)量、當(dāng)選為眾議院議員的女性的數(shù)量都達(dá)到創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的歷史新高,。但是,,這些成就雖然有意義,卻仍然遠(yuǎn)不足以實(shí)現(xiàn)代議制民主的目標(biāo),。
羅格斯大學(xué)美國(guó)女性與政治中心(Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University)的報(bào)告顯示,,女性在眾議院席位中的比例將僅從23.2%增加到25.5%。在參議院,,由于瑪莎·麥克薩利敗給了亞利桑那州的民主黨人對(duì)手馬克·凱利,,女性所占席位的比例將有所減少。
有色人種女性的數(shù)量?jī)H占眾議院的10%,,參議院的4%,;在賀錦麗當(dāng)選副總統(tǒng)后,她原先在參議院的席位就空了出來(lái),,而如果候補(bǔ)的并非有色人種女性,,則她們的比例將減少到3%。只有24名共和黨女性當(dāng)選為眾議院議員——而這已經(jīng)創(chuàng)下歷史新高,,其中還只有兩位是有色人種,。那“創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄”的印第安女議員人數(shù)又有多少呢,?只有三位。
這些數(shù)字并不足以為人稱(chēng)道,。
女性占美國(guó)人口總數(shù)的51%,,但在國(guó)會(huì)中所占的席位卻從未超過(guò)25%。這讓美國(guó)在“女性代表在立法機(jī)關(guān)中所占席位”的排名上不僅遠(yuǎn)落后于西歐,,還遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)落后于許多發(fā)展中國(guó)家,。
長(zhǎng)期以來(lái),女性議員在美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)中的比例都嚴(yán)重偏低,,而這會(huì)導(dǎo)致很多問(wèn)題,。首先,研究表明,,女議員會(huì)將代表女性權(quán)益的政策放在首位,,而有色人種的女議員更在其中起到了重要作用。當(dāng)女性在美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)中的席位依然很少時(shí),,就很難說(shuō)她們的權(quán)益和政策傾向得到了充分體現(xiàn),。
其次,女性的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)權(quán)在應(yīng)對(duì)疫情危機(jī)方面至關(guān)重要,。女議員往往會(huì)號(hào)召大家支持那些有助于渡過(guò)疫情的政策,,例如為公眾提供醫(yī)保和社會(huì)援助。除了遏制疫情傳播外,,女議員還會(huì)優(yōu)先考慮到疫情的社會(huì)后果,。有色人種女性議員表示,她們已經(jīng)努力滿足了那些遭受重創(chuàng)的社區(qū)的需求,。
第三,,研究發(fā)現(xiàn)了女議員與政府信用之間的聯(lián)系。在兩性的刻板印象中,,女性是誠(chéng)實(shí)而不易腐敗的,,再加上歷來(lái)被排斥在政治之外,就使得她們似乎成為“政治場(chǎng)”這片聲名狼藉的(且由男性主導(dǎo)的)領(lǐng)域里的另一種選擇,。十多年來(lái),,人們對(duì)美國(guó)政府的信任度一直在下降,因此增加女性議員的人數(shù),,很可能有助于改善這一狀況,。
最后,即便男女政客在行為上沒(méi)有什么差別,,讓女性在政府機(jī)構(gòu)中任職對(duì)民主合法性來(lái)說(shuō)也至關(guān)重要,。畢竟,如果一個(gè)民主政府未能反映出它所代表的人民的多樣性,那么這個(gè)政府將如何代表民主呢,?
世界上已經(jīng)有很多人認(rèn)識(shí)到,,女性參政人數(shù)過(guò)少是有問(wèn)題的,也已經(jīng)采取具體措施加以改善,。目前,,全球有130多個(gè)國(guó)家在其政府或自愿性政黨的成員中,采用某種形式的性別配額,。
圍繞政治中性別平等的討論已經(jīng)在全球范圍內(nèi)展開(kāi),。例如2018年,墨西哥就在國(guó)家和大多數(shù)州的立法機(jī)關(guān)中實(shí)現(xiàn)了性別平等,。盧旺達(dá)和玻利維亞的立法機(jī)關(guān)目前也有超過(guò)50%的女性,。
美國(guó)還需要向這些正面案例學(xué)習(xí)很多東西。增加女性在國(guó)會(huì),、州政府和地方政府中的席位,不僅關(guān)系到女性的利益和民主代表權(quán),,而且關(guān)系到緩解疫情,、恢復(fù)人們對(duì)政府的信任,以及實(shí)現(xiàn)代議制民主的理想,。
肯德?tīng)枴·芬克是亞利桑那州立大學(xué)政治學(xué)系的助理教授,。她的研究領(lǐng)域包括女性的平等和政治代表權(quán)。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
2020年,,女性在美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)的選舉中取得了重要進(jìn)步,。
賀錦麗(Kamala Harris)將成為美國(guó)第一任女性副總統(tǒng),同時(shí),,也是第一位有色人種副總統(tǒng),。今年,以亞歷山大·奧卡西奧·科爾特斯,、伊爾汗·奧馬爾,、艾亞娜·普萊斯利和拉希達(dá)·特萊布這四人組成的“小分隊(duì)”為代表,有色人種女性在國(guó)會(huì)選舉中表現(xiàn)不凡,,節(jié)節(jié)獲勝,,備受矚目。新墨西哥州所有競(jìng)選眾議院席位的有色人種女性全部勝選,??评铩げ际矊?dān)任密蘇里州的第一位黑人女議員,。在第117屆國(guó)會(huì)中,,印第安女性的數(shù)量將創(chuàng)下歷史紀(jì)錄。
共和黨中的女性也備受關(guān)注,,有人將2020年稱(chēng)為共和黨“屬于女性的一年”。
2020年的美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選是一個(gè)重要的里程碑:競(jìng)選國(guó)會(huì)議席的女性候選人數(shù)量,、當(dāng)選為眾議院議員的女性的數(shù)量都達(dá)到創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的歷史新高,。但是,這些成就雖然有意義,,卻仍然遠(yuǎn)不足以實(shí)現(xiàn)代議制民主的目標(biāo),。
羅格斯大學(xué)美國(guó)女性與政治中心(Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University)的報(bào)告顯示,女性在眾議院席位中的比例將僅從23.2%增加到25.5%,。在參議院,,由于瑪莎·麥克薩利敗給了亞利桑那州的民主黨人對(duì)手馬克·凱利,女性所占席位的比例將有所減少,。
有色人種女性的數(shù)量?jī)H占眾議院的10%,,參議院的4%;在賀錦麗當(dāng)選副總統(tǒng)后,,她原先在參議院的席位就空了出來(lái),,而如果候補(bǔ)的并非有色人種女性,則她們的比例將減少到3%,。只有24名共和黨女性當(dāng)選為眾議院議員——而這已經(jīng)創(chuàng)下歷史新高,,其中還只有兩位是有色人種。那“創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄”的印第安女議員人數(shù)又有多少呢,?只有三位,。
這些數(shù)字并不足以為人稱(chēng)道。
女性占美國(guó)人口總數(shù)的51%,,但在國(guó)會(huì)中所占的席位卻從未超過(guò)25%,。這讓美國(guó)在“女性代表在立法機(jī)關(guān)中所占席位”的排名上不僅遠(yuǎn)落后于西歐,還遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)落后于許多發(fā)展中國(guó)家,。
長(zhǎng)期以來(lái),,女性議員在美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)中的比例都嚴(yán)重偏低,而這會(huì)導(dǎo)致很多問(wèn)題,。首先,,研究表明,女議員會(huì)將代表女性權(quán)益的政策放在首位,,而有色人種的女議員更在其中起到了重要作用,。當(dāng)女性在美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)中的席位依然很少時(shí),就很難說(shuō)她們的權(quán)益和政策傾向得到了充分體現(xiàn),。
其次,,女性的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)權(quán)在應(yīng)對(duì)疫情危機(jī)方面至關(guān)重要。女議員往往會(huì)號(hào)召大家支持那些有助于渡過(guò)疫情的政策,,例如為公眾提供醫(yī)保和社會(huì)援助,。除了遏制疫情傳播外,,女議員還會(huì)優(yōu)先考慮到疫情的社會(huì)后果。有色人種女性議員表示,,她們已經(jīng)努力滿足了那些遭受重創(chuàng)的社區(qū)的需求,。
第三,研究發(fā)現(xiàn)了女議員與政府信用之間的聯(lián)系,。在兩性的刻板印象中,,女性是誠(chéng)實(shí)而不易腐敗的,再加上歷來(lái)被排斥在政治之外,,就使得她們似乎成為“政治場(chǎng)”這片聲名狼藉的(且由男性主導(dǎo)的)領(lǐng)域里的另一種選擇,。十多年來(lái),人們對(duì)美國(guó)政府的信任度一直在下降,,因此增加女性議員的人數(shù),,很可能有助于改善這一狀況。
最后,,即便男女政客在行為上沒(méi)有什么差別,,讓女性在政府機(jī)構(gòu)中任職對(duì)民主合法性來(lái)說(shuō)也至關(guān)重要。畢竟,,如果一個(gè)民主政府未能反映出它所代表的人民的多樣性,,那么這個(gè)政府將如何代表民主呢?
世界上已經(jīng)有很多人認(rèn)識(shí)到,,女性參政人數(shù)過(guò)少是有問(wèn)題的,也已經(jīng)采取具體措施加以改善,。目前,,全球有130多個(gè)國(guó)家在其政府或自愿性政黨的成員中,采用某種形式的性別配額,。
圍繞政治中性別平等的討論已經(jīng)在全球范圍內(nèi)展開(kāi),。例如2018年,墨西哥就在國(guó)家和大多數(shù)州的立法機(jī)關(guān)中實(shí)現(xiàn)了性別平等,。盧旺達(dá)和玻利維亞的立法機(jī)關(guān)目前也有超過(guò)50%的女性,。
美國(guó)還需要向這些正面案例學(xué)習(xí)很多東西。增加女性在國(guó)會(huì),、州政府和地方政府中的席位,,不僅關(guān)系到女性的利益和民主代表權(quán),而且關(guān)系到緩解疫情,、恢復(fù)人們對(duì)政府的信任,,以及實(shí)現(xiàn)代議制民主的理想。
肯德?tīng)枴·芬克是亞利桑那州立大學(xué)政治學(xué)系的助理教授,。她的研究領(lǐng)域包括女性的平等和政治代表權(quán),。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
Women won key congressional races across the U.S. in 2020.
Kamala Harris will become the first woman, and person of color, to be Vice President. High-profile women of color won their election bids, including the four representatives—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib—known as “The Squad.” New Mexico elected all women of color to its House delegation. Cori Bush will serve as the first Black congresswoman for Missouri. And the 117th Congress will boast a record number of Native American women.
Republican women are also in the spotlight, with some calling 2020 the “Year of the Woman” for Republicans.
The 2020 election has yielded important milestones, including record numbers of women candidates and an all-time high number of women elected to the House of Representatives. But these gains, while meaningful, are insufficient for meeting the goals of a representative democracy.
The Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University reports that women’s share of seats in the House of Representatives will increase from 23.2% to a mere 25.5%. In the Senate, women’s seat share will decrease following Martha McSally’s loss to Democratic challenger Mark Kelly in Arizona.
Women of color make up just 10% of the House and 4% of the Senate—and this would decrease to 3% if a woman of color isn’t selected for Harris’s vacated Senate seat. Only 24 Republican women were elected to the House—an all-time high—and just two of those are women of color. And that record-breaking number of Native American congresswomen? It’s only three.
These numbers aren’t very impressive.
Women make up 51% of the U.S. population but have never exceeded 25% of Congress. This sets the U.S. far behind not only Western Europe, but also much of the developing world in rankings of women’s legislative representation.
Women’s persistent underrepresentation is problematic for many reasons. First, research shows that congresswomen prioritize women’s policy interests and congresswomen of color play a large role in keeping women’s interests on the agenda. It’s hard to say that women’s interests and policy preferences are fully represented in the U.S. when so few women have a seat at the table.
Second, women’s leadership matters for the COVID-19 crisis. Women elected officials tend to champion the types of policies and services that will support everyone through the pandemic, like access to health care and social assistance. In addition to curbing the virus’s spread, women politicians also prioritize the pandemic’s social consequences, and women of color have shown that they are tuned in to the needs of their hard-hit communities.
Third, research identifies a link between women’s representation and trust in government institutions. Gender stereotypes of women as honest and less corruptible, combined with women’s historic exclusion from politics, make women appear to be a viable alternative to the discredited (male) establishment. Trust in the U.S. federal government has been on the decline for over a decade, so increasing women’s representation might help improve this.
Finally, even if women politicians behaved the same as men politicians, their presence in governing institutions matters for democratic legitimacy. After all, how representative is a democratic government if it fails to mirror the diversity of the people it is meant to represent?
Much of the world has acknowledged that women’s underrepresentation is problematic and has taken concrete steps to ameliorate this. Over 130 countries worldwide now use some form of gender quota law for their governments or voluntary political party quotas.
Globally, the political discourse is converging around gender parity. Mexico, for example, reached gender parity in the national legislature and most of its state legislatures in 2018. Rwanda’s and Bolivia’s legislatures currently exceed 50% women.
The U.S. has much to learn from these examples. Increasing women’s presence in Congress, as well as in state and local governments, matters not only for women’s rights and representation, but also for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic, restoring trust in government, and fulfilling the ideals of a representative democracy.
Kendall D. Funk is an assistant professor of political science at Arizona State University. She researches women’s equality and political representation.