A Woman’s Place Is in Government

Where I live, in Alabama, our legislature is 14 percent women. That number is shocking, and living in this reality doesn’t just hurt women—it hurts everyone. There are so many issues our legislature doesn’t consider or fund simply because the problems do not impact them directly, or they can’t see how they do. We have one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the nation. The pay gap persists despite women being more likely to hold a Bachelor’s degree. Access to healthcare for women is limited if it’s attainable at all. According to a 2016 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Alabama ranks as the worst state in the South for women, with Ds and Fs in political participation, employment and earnings, work and family, poverty and opportunity, reproductive rights, and health and well-being. Yet, we’re still here, making up 52 percent of the population. How can women change all of this? By getting involved in the political process.