***Reminder: Fem Dems Nov. Meeting is on Tuesday, Nov. 17th at 6pm.

Please note location change: 1830 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95811.

Please join us with special guest Janice Rocco, a longtime statewide and national NOW leader and Chief of Staff to our own State Assemblymember Dave Jones. Janice will be updating us on the national healthcare reform debate from a feminist's perspective: how have women's issues been left out, included, or totally politicized?

Snacks will be provided!

A little about Janice:

Janice Rocco began her NOW activism in college. After serving as President of her campus chapter in Santa Barbara, Janice became the youngest-ever President of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW at the age of 25. Since then, Janice has continued her leadership in NOW, while also working in California's state capitol as the Chief of Staff to the Chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus and then to the Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Janice has worked on a wide range of issues including violence against women, lesbian rights, reproductive rights and the image of women in media. She brings years of organizing and public policy experience to NOW.

Janice was involved in filing the gender equity lawsuit against the California State University system which resulted in a consent degree that brought a significant increase in athletic opportunities for women. Her work to educate the public about the harm done by misogynistic song lyrics led MTV to pull a popular video and caused retailers to refuse to sell the CD without a warning label. Janice has worked on local, state and federal races to recruit, train and elect women and people of color to office. She also worked to defeat three parental notification ballots measures in California, and worked against those to end affirmative action and repeal marriage equality. As President of Los Angeles NOW, Janice was interviewed by local and national television, radio and print media, and has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, the Fox News channel and Entertainment Tonight. Janice is currently serving her third term on NOW's National Board and is the Southwest Regional Director.

Getting appointed to boards and commissions

Last week, California Women Lead hosted a free workshop on how to get an appointment to a board or commission as a woman. Two Fem Dems were able to attend this event and it was everything promised: full of useful information and attended by many women mayors, council members and board members who could lend their experience and advice to the next generation of women leaders.

California Women Lead is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing leadership and campaign trainings, networking opportunities, and policy discussion forums for women interested in or who hold elected and appointed offices. CWL’s mission, as women in government, is to inform and educate its constituencies as well as encourage and support women to seek public office.

Similarly, the Fem Dems is committed to helping feminist democrats get elected or appointed to bring our voice into the policy debates that affect our everyday lives. The first and most basic thing we learned from the workshop is that getting an appointment to a board or commission is the first step in getting more women in elected office. So below please find the tips and pointers that we got on how to start navigate the appointments process:

1.       Why should women be engaged in the political process? The main answers to this question were that women need to be more forceful because we have different ideas and they are GOOD ideas. The 3 speakers, Kathy Lund, Cheyl Maki and Susan Rohan each touched on the themes of how women collaborate to problem solve, and bring the experiences that men don’t have to the table. Another issue that came up is that women often think they have to be experts at something before they are allowed to have opinions. Women need to speak up – even if our voices shake! – because people also need to HEAR what we have to say. We aren’t just speaking up at these public forums for ourselves, but because our good ideas serve the community!

2.        

What do you need to know to get appointed?

a.       There are state boards and commissions and local level boards and commissions. At the state level, check out Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointments page. According to the speakers, your partisan affiliation as a Democrat is no preclusion to getting appointed.

b.      Be open-minded about which appointment you want. You are allowed to select five that you would like to be appointed to. It’s OK if you don’t know the issue area, too. These appointments are learn-on-the-job positions, so you can learn all about the state mining trade or state security guards as you go.

c.       Be prepared to give up all your personal information in the application. You will be background checked and once appointed, your information is public. Some women in attendance expressed that it was this giving up of private info that caused them to withdraw their appointment applications.

d.      A few appointments actually require senate confirmation, so make sure that if the one you are interested in does, you are prepared to go before the Senate and answer questions on record.

e.      Know what the time demands are of the position you are seeking. Some are just two days a month but require a lot of travel, while others are more frequent and in Sacramento. You want to make sure you are prepared to integrate the demands of the appointment, which is very part-time, with the demands of your regular, full time life.

f.         For local level appointments, contact your city council member’s office and ask if they have any positions they need filled on a local commission on board. According to the CWL speakers, people who volunteer to fill these positions and be involved in their communities and warmly welcomed by local leaders, and later tapped to run for office.

Having women show and speak for our issues has always been an imperative of organizations like the Fem Dems and California Women Lead.  Attending this event reminded me that the Fem Dems, as a chapter of the California Young Democrats, should heed the call to get appointments within the umbrella of our own organization (both the state and national YDs), and continue our work influencing the CYD platform to make sure it reflects issues that feminist democrats care about, too.

Fem Dems Respond to the Loss of Civil Rights in Maine

On Thursday, Oct. 29, the Fem Dems phoned from Sacramento’s Equality California field office to hundreds of voters in Maine to keep the fundamental right to marry intact for same sex couples there.

In light of the slim majority that voted to repeal same-sex marriage, http://www.marriageequality.org/ issued the following statement:

Our hearts go out to same-sex couples in Maine who have had their fundamental right to marry stripped away by a slim majority, said Molly McKay, Marriage Equality USA. Its absolutely inhumane to put same-sex couples and their children through these grueling campaigns that only serve to promote hatred, ignorance and bigotry. LGBT Americans deserve the same security and respect that marriage provides to all other families and we will continue on our journey that has brought us this far and continue to share our truth and the impact of discrimination it is truly only a matter of time. We, of the generation that has been tasked with the obligation to end legal discrimination against LGBT Americans must learn that life isnt about waiting for the storm to pass, its about learning to! dance in the rainand dance and march and sing and pray is what we will doand as our most beloved Dr. Martin Luther King has said, we will do so, until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

We must continue to heed the advice of Harvey Milk and come out to everyone we meet as supporters of marriage equality, as LGBT people, as sisters, brothers, parents and friends of gay people, said Pamela Brown, Marriage Equality USA Policy Director. Last night, we achieved victories in Washington State and Kalamazoo, seven openly gay candidates won in elections spanning the nation from St. Petersburg, Florida to Salt Lake City, Utah and two are in run-off elections in Houston, Texas and the 58th District in Georgia. And as people witness same-sex couples happily married in six states, living their lives, mowing their lawn, paying their taxes and as our families become woven into the seamless web of community and citizenship, the injustice of separa! te of unequal treatment will grow more and more apparent. To h! elp high light our common humanity, Marriage Equality USA is launching a stories project, particularly in states where marriage equality is a reality. We want to encourage same-sex couples, their families, straight allies, and other community members to share their experiences on the impact and importance of extending the freedom to marry to all loving, committed couples. The stories we collect will be presented through a digital stories project that we will release during Februarys Freedom to Marry month.

To have your story including in this project, please complete the on-line survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=kGFndFxQS4gCHuCU_2bKgBUg_3d_3d

***

The Fem Dems’ hearts and spirits are with our friends in Maine and we will remain committed to the noble cause of marriage equality for all.

Gender equality for female veterans

It wasn’t long into the Iraq War that I started to realize that this country’s perception of women being incapable of combat roles could be permanently changed by the reality foisted upon our service men and women in Iraq. Despite the fact that women are not congressionally authorized to be in combat roles, and despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that Congress could discriminate against women when it comes to our role in the military, the Iraq War is a game changer that simply can’t be ignored.

A recent article in the New York Times details how war is the great equalizer:

When Mrs. Pacquette joined the army in the ’80s — inspired by her father, who served in World War II — men often told her she did not belong. “Women were seen as weak and whiny,” she said. “Men had to go on sick call all the time but when a woman went on sick call, it was a big deal.”

Even before she was deployed to Iraq in 2004, however, she sensed what thousands of women have since discovered: that war would be an equalizer. And it was.

In early October 2004, her convoy of about 30 vehicles set out from Kuwait for Mosul, one of Iraq’s most violent cities. On the way, she said, they were hit three times with roadside bombs. One exploded 200 feet from the unarmored Humvee in which Mrs. Pacquette spent day and night pointing her rifle out an open window….““There were guys on the ground that I was responsible for as an NCO,” she said, adding, “As a leader, I had to keep my fear inside.”

The consequence of allowing women into combat roles without officially recognizing their status as combat veterans is playing out as these women return home seeking the medical and emotional support for the unique and often isolating wounds of war. They return home, and find that their claims are denied or they are left alone without a group of similarly situated women to transition back to civilian life with.

Dr. Carri-Ann Gibson, Mrs. Pacquette’s therapist, who runs the Trauma Recovery Program at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Fla., said the hardest part for women is that they often feel ashamed and guilty because “they’re not supposed to punch a wall, they’re not supposed to get aggressive with their spouse.”

Dr. Gibson said that for men, rage, paranoia and aggression are more accepted, while women are typically expected to snap back into domestic routines without any trouble.

“Women apply that pressure to themselves as well,” she said. “They live with that inner feeling of anger, and that’s why we see more events happening at home than actually out in public.”

Dr. Resick of the National Center for P.T.S.D. said much was still unknown about how the minds of men and women handle war. But at this point, she said, men and women differ mainly in how they manage similar symptoms.

“The women — because they are not surrounded by other women, they may be surrounded by men — may withdraw more,” she continued. “The question is, Who are they with when they come home?”

The fact that women are in combat roles and are returning with serious emotional and physical scars such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can no longer be denied. But so long as it is, our female veterans are suffering alone and being denied to dignity and respect they deserve for sacrificing so much for our country.

Many women traumatized by combat stress described lives of quiet desperation, alone, in just a few rooms with drawn shades. Nancy Schiliro, 29, who lost her right eye as a result of a mortar attack in 2005, said that for more than two years after returning home, she rarely left a darkened garage in Hartsdale, N.Y., that her grandmother called “the bat cave.” Shalimar Bien, 30, described her life, four years after Iraq, as a nonstop effort to avoid confrontation.

This really comes as no surprise when you consider how dismissive and condescending people – even the men who served with women in Iraq and Afghanistan – are to women veterans. After saving lives and risking their own to serve this country, they must return to defend their contribution from insulting remarks like “How was the shopping?”

When Heather Paxton started working at the V.A. hospital in Columbia, Mo., two years ago, she discovered something she did not expect: no one saw her as a veteran. Despite her service in Iraq, patients assumed she knew nothing of war. A male colleague who chattered about weapons dismissed her like a silly little sister when she chimed in. “He’d give me the stink eye,” Ms. Paxton said. “He’d just walk away.”

For many female veterans today, war and their roles in it must be constantly explained. For those with post-traumatic stress, the constant demand for proof can be particularly maddening — confirming their belief that only the people who were “over there” can understand them here.

Renee Peloquin, 25, a member of the Idaho National Guard, had to design a bumper sticker that says “Female Iraqi War Veteran” because the basic “Iraq War Veteran” message on her car led strangers to thank her long-haired boyfriend for serving, even though he has never spent a day in uniform.

“I’m so sick of being stereotyped,” Ms. Peloquin said. “Or being ignored, that’s a better word.”

Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq veteran who lost two legs there and ran for congress in Illinois, answers the combat question squarely: “it’s not a question, Can women can do a combat job. They just are.”

As a society, we have an obligation to provide our veterans with the services they need upon return to civilian life. That includes proper medical care that acknowledges the very real mental injuries suffered by both men and women. Getting there requires a realistic assessment of what roles women now play in the military and honoring that with proper medical care and other transition services.

Another great meeting!

Last night was a great meeting, and we welcome the three new women who joined! A wrap up on what was covered:
1. End of Session Wrap Up: Feminist Democrats had some great wins but substantial losses in CA this year. Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 119 (banning gender discrimination in health insurance pricing), into law – a big but welcome surprise. The Fem Dems advocated for his support. However, he vetoed legislation to help secure justice for women who are victims of sexual assault by requiring jurisdictions to account for untested rape kits, citing “costs.” In the budget arena, Schwarzenegger eliminated the California Department of Public Health's Domestic Violence Program's $20.4 million budget with a line item veto. BUT…State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco introduced a bill that would restore $16.3 million for the program by taking money from another fund. Yesterday that bill was signed into law, but only after six of the state’s 94 shelters were already closed.

2. Fem Dems to Support Marriage Equality: On Wednesday, Oct. 28th we’ll be phoning at a California Equality phone bank to support the battle going on in Maine right now. We can help keep a Prop. 8 disaster from happening in another state! Details: Thursday 10/29/2009 02:30 PM to 05:30 PM - EQCA Canvass Office, 1722 J Street, Sacramento.

3. Learn How to Get Appointed to a Board or Commission! This FREE workshop, hosted by California Women Lead, will guide you through the appointments process. Let’s get more women in these crucial decision-making positions that are stepping stones for other opportunities! Details: Thursday, November 5th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm @ Whitney Oaks Golf Club, 2305 Clubhouse Drive, Rocklin. Email me at amber.maltbie@gmail.com for details about car-pooling.

4. Future Speakers/Workshops: What topics are relevant and of interest to you as a feminist? Please let us know what you would like to hear about from a speaker, and we can set up guests for future meetings. Would you like to hear from a communications expert about the damaging ways women are betrayed in the media? Or learn about negotiating as a woman in the workforce? Please send an email to Hatzune and Hatzune@gmail.com with your suggestions for future meetings.

Fem Dems meeting this week!

Hi everyone!!

This week, we're going to meet at the Shady Lady on WEDNEDSDAY instead of Tuesday!

We will meet at 6:30pm on R St in Sacramento!

Newcomers are welcome.

Sweeeet!

Gender Equality in the Federal Healthcare Debate

On the heels of last week’s victory for women in California’s own healthcare debate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi along with the Congressional Women’s Caucus introduced H.R. 3200 – a bill comparable to California’s AB 119 to end price discrimination in the insurance industry nationally, and to fix the “sexist, irrational and often cruel healthcare system that women now contend.”
Ms. Magazine reports that H.R. 3200 aims to end the gender rating that forces women to pay 140% more for health insurance than men, will add maternity care, which is now missing from 79% of plans, and cover preventative measures such as mammograms.

Appallingly, in eight states women who are victims of domestic violence are deemed to have a “pre-existing condition,” thus a legitimate ground for denying coverage. H.R. 3200 will also aims to ban this disgusting practice of punishing women for being victims in their own homes.

The bill is being finalized right now. The Fem Dems will be monitoring the bill’s progress closely.

AB 119 (Jones) and AB 98 (De La Torre)

AB 119 was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger! This is great news for women in California who have suffered unfairly under the hands of the health insurance industry. Finally, some justice.

Thank you everyone who took some time to write, call, and email the Governor!

Unfortunately, a huge piece of the gender equality puzzle, AB 98 was vetoed. This means there is more work to do.

AB 119 - Send your letter now!

Below is a copy of the letter we sent urging Governor Schwarzenegger to support AB119. There are only 3 days left to send your letter. Please note that his fax number is 916-558-3160.

October 8, 2009

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814

Cc. First Lady Maria Shriver, State of California (Fax: 916-558-3160)
Cc. Patty Bellasalma, President , California National Organization for Women (Fax: 916-442-4765)

Re: AB 119 (Jones) - Support

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

The Feminist Democrats of the Sacramento Region are writing to urge you to support AB 119, which would eliminate the loophole in the law that permits gender discrimination in health insurance premiums.

Our mission as an organization is to promote the feminist principles of equality, diversity and inclusiveness. Current law allows women to be charged more than men for the same health insurance policy. To limit women’s access to health services is to penalize whole families.

This economic burden is magnified by the fact that women on average make only 78% of men’s wages and have less ability to pay expensive health care costs. This burden is even more substantial for women of color whose average wages are less. Equality in health insurance policy premiums is critical not only to ensuring women’s access to needed health care but to increased financial stability.

Among our own membership, we have the following experiences to share with you in the hopes that it portrays exactly how meaningful this legislation is:

Amber’s Story – For the past few years, I have watched my mother – a single woman in her fifties – be turned down by one insurance provider after another. The costs of the programs that are available to her are prohibitive, averaging $600/month. As a self-employed house cleaner, my mother has neither a traditional work plan nor the means to afford health insurance. Because of this she avoids visiting the doctor until things get dire. Things got dire at the worst time possible – she waited to visit the doctor until the last minute because of concerns about money, and as a consequence, missed my wedding because she was so sick with the flu. It was heart wrenching for both of us and could have been avoided if she had access to preventative healthcare, a luxury that affordable health insurance can provide.

Natalie’s Story - I am currently enrolled at California State University, Sacramento. Since I have turned 24 I have not been able to receive the health benefits I was lucky to have in my life previously. As a student I have to endure the rising cost of tuition without any health benefit incentive. Not only have I recently been injured but I also wear glasses because I am terribly nearsighted. My injury is something I deal with everyday as I have not been able to pay for a doctor to look at it and take ex-rays because a majority of my money goes towards school and books. Also, my eyesight gets worse every year and I am unable to purchase new glasses which run from $300-$400 for prescription lenses. I need my glasses to drive to school and work and also to be able to see the board to take notes in class. I am unable to have a full time job a receive benefits because I am carrying 15 units at school and only have time to work 12 hours a week at my job. I need access to healthcare to be easier and cheaper.

Women should not have to pay more than men for the same health care coverage. Please support affordable and equal health care for women by signing AB 119.

Sincerely,

The Feminist Democrats of the Sacramento Region

AB119 (Jones) and AB98 (De La Torre) - Act now!

Given all the info in our last post about why it is so important that we equalize access to health insurance for women, we urge you to ask the Governor to pass AB119 and AB98.

First, some information about both bills.

AB119
Prevents HMOs and insurers from charging men and women different rates for the same health insurance policies in the individual market.

From Assemblymember Dave Jones' press release:

“If higher rates for women keep them from being able to afford health care coverage, this can mean reduced access to health care and potentially result in poorer health status and health outcomes for women. When it comes to health benefits provided directly by employers, this type of gender discrimination has been banned for over thirty years. Those seeking health insurance in the individual market should have the same protections from gender discrimination as those whose health benefits are provided by their employers,”

From the Legislative Councel's Digest:

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

AB 98
AB 98 would require all insurance policies to provide coverage for maternity care services, including prenatal care, labor and delivery services and postpartum care. Maternity care is basic and preventive health care for women. This bill would ensure that maternity costs are spread across the pool of all individuals who purchase insurance just like costs for other basic health care.

From California Center for Research on Women & Families

Gender discrimination in health insurance pricing has been banned for more than thirty years in the provision of group health benefits provided by employers but different rules apply to the individual market where gender discrimination is still permitted. Similarly, group health plans are required to provide coverage for maternity services but insurers are free to market individual policies without maternity coverage. This creates an enormous disadvantage for women who need to purchase their own insurance.

Please call Governor Schwarzenegger before October 11th - his last day to pass or veto these bills! Call ASAP because he can also sign or veto before the 11th.

San Francisco Office: 415.703.2218
Capitol Office:(automated line) 916.445.2841

Hi my name is __________ and I live in _____________.


I am calling to ask that the Governor pass AB119 – the bill that will eliminate gender discrimination in health insurance premiums.

Current law allows women to be charged more than men for the same health insurance policy. California women aged 18-54 are paying as much as 39% more than men for identical individual health plans. Women should not have to pay more than men for the same health care coverage.

Thank you.

HEALTH CARE IMPACT ON WOMEN

Excerpts from the National Women’s Law Center's facts on why women need health care reform:

In the absence of health reform, more and more women and families will lose their health insurance, with an estimated 995,200 California residents losing coverage between 2008 and 2010.

A recent study revealed that California women aged 18-54 are paying as much as 39% more than men for identical individual health plans.

Women in California Face Unfair and Discriminatory Insurance Industry Practices

1. Insurers in California are allowed to consider gender when setting premium rates in the individual health insurance market, where people buy coverage directly from insurance companies. As a result of “gender rating,” women are often charged more than men for the exact same coverage.

2. In California, insurance companies are allowed to reject a woman’s health insurance application for a variety of reasons including her medical history or her current health status.

3. Insurers in California can also exclude coverage for certain “pre-existing” conditions; if a woman has previously had a Cesarean section, for instance, insurers may refuse to pay for future C-sections or reject her application altogether.

4. In California, where nearly a third of all births were by C-section in 2006, tens of thousands of women could face coverage exclusions or rejections because of this discriminatory practice.


Women in California Have More Trouble Affording Necessary Health Care

1. Women are generally poorer than men, and in California earn just 84 cents for every dollar men earn.

2. Women also use the health care system more, in part due to their reproductive health needs.

3. Because they are poorer and use more care, women spend a greater share of their income on their health needs. Women are more likely than men to struggle with medical bills or debt, and to report cost-related problems with accessing health care.

4. For instance, 17% of women in California report not visiting a doctor due to high costs.

5. Women without coverage are especially likely to experience cost-related barriers to care. In 2007, more than one in five women in California was uninsured.

6. Even women with health insurance report problems affording health care. Unaffordable cost-sharing requirements, annual limits on covered services, or health plan limits on lifetime expenditures have a disproportionate impact on women. They are more likely than men to be underinsured, meaning they have coverage that leaves their financial and physical health at risk.

Study: Women lawmakers best men

Study: Women lawmakers best men

By: Erika Lovley
September 15, 2009 04:46 AM EST


Are women more effective lawmakers than men?

That’s the preliminary conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Chicago, who say that on average, women in Congress introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors and bring home more money for their districts than their male counterparts do.

The study, which examined the performance of House members between 1984 and 2004, found that women delivered roughly 9 percent more discretionary spending for their districts than men.

For instance, during Rep. Judy Biggert’s first two-year term, Illinois’s 13th District received $382 million in federal funds, $70 million more than it received during the final term of her predecessor, Rep. Harris Fawell.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren delivered around $859 million to her district, compared with $541 million brought in by her predecessor, Rep. Don Edwards, during his final term, the researchers said.

And during then-Rep. Connie Morella’s first term, Maryland’s 8th District received $780 million, $183 million more than predecessor Rep. Michael Barnes brought in during his final term, they said.

While there are obviously variables beyond gender — seniority, party affiliation, majority/minority status and the differing priorities of a freshman and a veteran lawmaker — the researchers say they’ve accounted for those in making their male-to-female comparisons.

“You could easily make the argument that a politician who is on his way out, or someone who is sitting on a really powerful committee, is in a different position than someone just coming into office,” said Stanford researcher Sarah Anzia. “Not every example will cover every alternative explanation, but we control for all of those factors in the study.”

The researchers also found that women introduced more legislation than men who served in their same districts, often hitting the ground running in their first terms.

“We find that, on average, women sponsor about three bills more per Congress per term than their male counterparts,” said Anzia. “They co-sponsor more bills than other members, and they also obtain more co-sponsors for their own bills.”

Since 1789, women have constituted just 2 percent of the total congressional population. The ratio of female to male representatives has increased in recent years, but the pace is still fairly glacial: Nearly 17 percent of House members are women today, compared with about 3 percent in 1979.

Researchers say the small number of female members may have something to do with their effectiveness. Women who run and win are likely the most politically ambitious and talented of their pool, having potentially overcome hurdles including voter bias and self-doubt about their ability to win. Female candidates also tend to attract more challengers. Politically eligible women tend to doubt their ability to get elected and raise money more than men do, multiple studies have indicated. Large majorities of both men and women in candidate feeder pools, such as law offices and political organizations, believe there is a bias against women in elections, according to Lawless and Fox studies in 2005 and 2004.

Once women get to Capitol Hill, those hurdles may drive them to perform better, on average, than male counterparts who have faced a less contentious road.

“Research shows that even though women have similar success rates in primaries and elections as men, they are likely to face more challengers,” said Hartwick College political science department chairwoman Laurel Elder. “The results might be the same, but they might have to work harder to get those same results.”

“People ask, ‘Are you going to be strong enough? Are you going to be a fighter for us?’” said Rep. Judy Biggert, who beat five men in the initial Illinois Republican primary in 1998. “That’s always the way I’ve been treated.”

Biggert said she was told during her early days in law school at Northwestern University that she was a student by mistake — a man should have been in her seat.

“That has always given me the drive to work two, three times harder than men,” Biggert said.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a rising GOP star and female-candidate recruiter for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said it took several “taps on the shoulder” before she decided to run for office.

“Women seem to wait for someone who plants the idea and gives them confidence,” McMorris Rodgers said. “I had individuals who shared their confidence in me, and it helped erase some of the self-doubt.”

“Running for Congress is no walk in the park,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who has served in the House since 1995. “It’s a tough business, and people who do it successfully stand trial by fire.”

Lofgren entered the 1994 Democratic primary in California as the ultimate underdog against a favored male candidate, San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery. On primary night, television crews and reporters crowded her opponent’s headquarters, awaiting the presumed winner’s victory speech, while a lone photographer sat at Lofgren’s offices, waiting to snap a photo of the loser. But in an upset, Lofgren won the primary and then the election. Despite her victory, she faced additional hurdles on Capitol Hill that have continued to drive her daily work efforts. Her initial committee requests were ignored, she said, and she struggled to break through some of the old boys’ networks.

“There were some older male members who had a tough time accepting that there were women members,” said Lofgren, an immigration lawyer who now serves on the powerful House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees.

However, political science professor Jyl Josephson, director of the Rutgers Women’s Studies Program, cautions not to make too much of gender differences on the Hill — particularly among members who’ve been there for a while.

“We spend a lot time measuring gender differences rather than similarities,” Josephson said. “But there are many studies that show similarities, and they don’t get discussed nearly as much.”

Membership Meetings

The Feminist Democrats of the Sacramento Region meet every 3rd Tuesday of the month. Meetings tend to run an hour long. Please join us @ the Senator Hotel and please bring a snack to share.  Thank you!