Commentary: Women are making strides in politics -- Why it matters

The “Year of the Woman” label is too often thrown around when women break a barrier that should often be the norm. In 1992, it was used when five women were elected to the U.S. Senate. It was used in 2016 when Democrat Hillary Clinton became the first woman to lead a ticket for a major political party. We heard it again in 2018 during the so-called “pink wave,” when more than 100 women were elected to the U.S. House. There will likely be temptations to dub 2024 the Year of the Woman, especially if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the White House.

But I tend to agree with something former Baltimore native and U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski said decades ago: “Calling 1992 the Year of the Woman makes it sound like the Year of the Caribou or the Year of the Asparagus. We’re not a fad, a fancy or a year.”

Mikulski had a storied career as one of the longest-serving women in the Senate and the longest-serving senator in Maryland’s history. She’s among a lot of Maryland women who have broken barriers, defied odds and bucked trends, and this could be another historic year in our state.

After big gains in recent years, there’s been a dip in the number of women running for office across the country in 2024. Women hold fewer than a third of all municipal offices and are underrepresented at state and federal levels of politics, except at the position of lieutenant governor.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller is among the women who hold more than half of the lieutenant governor positions in the country. The state is also poised to send three Democratic women to Congress in 2025, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. That includes Angela Alsobrooks, who could become the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate. State Sen. Sarah Elfreth is running to represent the 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House, and April McClain-Delaney, deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Commerce, is running for an open seat in the state’s 6th Congressional District.

While Maryland has a long history of voting for Democrats, it’s good to see more Republican women growing in politics. That includes Nicole Beus Harris, chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party and wife of U.S. Rep. Andy Harris. She’s one of our 2024 Women to Watch, along with Tammy Stinnett, chairperson for the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee.

Here’s why it matters that these two women are recognized this year among a talented slate of women who are leading in finance, real estate, nonprofits, science and more. Multiple studies have shown when more women lead in politics, democracy and the economy function better. For example, findings from consulting firm Oliver Wyman, King’s College of London and the University of Korea reveal how a country’s overall progress and performance improves when it has a significant representation of women in political leadership.

Women tend to have different viewpoints and priorities than men, the study said, and globally they tend to run on health care, peace, security, education, climate action and fighting corruption.

Despite historic runs and gains in the last 10 years, women are still woefully underrepresented in politics and political leadership. The last time America voted for a president, women led just 20 of 193 nations and held only a quarter of legislative or parliamentary seats around the world, according to Oliver Wyman.

King’s College, sounding a lot like Mikulski all those years ago, warned that we need women’s representation to be significant, not just symbolic.

Maryland women are primed to have a significant impact in 2024. And that’s not just candidates running for office. Voters have huge sway, and perhaps the most decisive will be those who gave Republican Nikki Haley 20% of the state’s primary vote. They could be consequential in choosing candidates up and down the ballot, especially in the neck-and-neck U.S. Senate race.

And while we wouldn’t encourage a vote for any candidate simply because they’re a woman, we know our Women to Watch class shows the incredible talent and leadership abilities of Maryland women.

They’re, indeed, not a fad, fancy or a year. They’re strong, formidable, and leading every day.

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