The road has been long and the challenges formidable. However, women in politics have made substantial gains in the century since Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to serve in the United States Congress in April 1917. Women now make up 28% of the 118th Congress. This is the highest percentage in U.S. history. While there is still a long way to go to achieve true equality, women have recently reached some of the highest political and judicial positions in America.
For example, Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House in 2007. Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first woman named as a major political party’s nominee for president in 2016. Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first Black woman and the first Asian American to serve as vice president and the first Black woman selected as the presidential nominee by a major political party.
Women’s “Firsts” on the Supreme Court
Women also made firsts on the Supreme Court, including the appointments of the first Hispanic justice, Sonia Sotomayor, in 2009 and the first Black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, in 2022.
