Gender discrimination in US Politics essays

Gender discrimination in US Politics essays The concept of "a sense of place" denotes more than physical space. In sociological terms, a sense of space refers to the meanings people attach to the place or environment. This thus includes the orientation of people towards that place, the understandings and feelings that people generally attach to that environment (Hummon 253). These meanings could take on different forms. In some contexts, the sense of place could be a cohesive force that pulls people together into a community. In other cases, the sense of place may involve alienation, resulting in people who do not identify with a certain space or who may be prevented from full participation (Hummon 278). This concept of a sense of place as alienation can be seen at work in the United States Congress. When Congress was initially convened in 1774, women could not vote, much less hold office. Both the Senate and the Lower House acquired a very strong masculine sense of space. It would not be until 1917 when a woman would break into this masculine space. Today, there 13 women in the Senate and 59 women in the Lower House (Elvin). This could be seen as a sign of improvement, since there are more women serving in the 108th United States Congress than at any other time in history. However, despite the record numbers, women constitute only 16 percent of the legislators in the country. Furthermore, the number of women holding office in the state level has dropped by 12 percent this year In fact, despite the record increase, the United States trails its European counterparts and many other developing nations in terms of women in Congress. Despite its global economic dominance, the United States trails five dozen other countries in the percentage of women serving in national legislatures. Furthermore, the United States has not had a female Thus, despite recent advancements, the Uni ...