Women and Politics

This post was written by WCF Fellow, Stephanie Glover

Yesterday, the Senate began its debate on health care reform. Like many of you, I’m waiting with much anticipation to see what their end result will be—many questions remain:

• Will there be a public option?
• Will insurance companies be permitted to cover abortion?
• How will these changes effect current coverage?

As I think about these uncertainties, I’ve also been wondering: who will be the final decision makers in these areas? Turns out, its women. Four female senators have moved into the forefront of the debate and may end up as the key votes when the final bill comes to the Senate floor. Of the only 17 female senators, four of them will hold determining votes: Senators Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, and Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine all face tough decisions that will effect that state of health coverage for years to come.

It’s interesting, though, that none of these women were included in the initial discussions about health care legislation. In fact, no female senators were.

“When Senate Democratic leaders first went behind closed doors to complete the health care legislation, the only women in the room were either committee staff members or officials from the White House. The senators there — Harry Reid of Nevada, Max Baucus of Montana and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut — reflected the Senate’s predominant history as an old-boys’ club.”

Unfortunately, the United States Senate does not just have a history as an old-boys club, it essentially remains one—of the 100 senators, 83 are men. Today, though, these women are emerging as power brokers capable of shaping the health care debate and legislation, despite women only representing a fraction of senators. Senators Lincoln and Landrieu cast crucial votes moving the bill towards full debate. Senators Snowe and Collins will likely also face much pressure and persuasion from their Democratic colleagues in the weeks to come.

Women’s emerging power in the Senate may represent a shift away from the male dominated traditions of the Senate. This power shift is particularly important as we monitor the status of women’s health coverage in the Senate’s bill. The disappointing inclusion of the Stupak-Pitts amendment in the House bill has left many concerned about the final outcome of health care reform. As the New York Times suggests, the prominence of these four women highlights the debate over women’s health while also representing the growing power, influence, and importance of women in the House and Senate chambers.