US lags behind Latin America in appointing women to political office

Women living in Latin America have more role models in political office than those in the United States.

The recent election of Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president (see WVoN story) has thrown this into sharp focus.

Stephanie McNulty of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Brazil’s election stands in stark contrast to the US November congressional elections, after which the number of women holding seats and leadership positions declined.
This matters, she says, because women are more likely than men to push for equality legislation.

The United States is ranked 72nd for female legislative representation, below Cambodia, Ecuador, Mozambique, and Uganda. The share of state governors who are women is less than in Ecuador, Chile, Honduras, and Panama.