by Dawn Fleming
When I was 16, I worked as a part-time receptionist at a real estate firm. It was 1977, and career opportunities for women were not great. Title IX, which prohibits sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity) discrimination in education or any activity receiving federal financial assistance was passed a mere 5 years earlier.
I saw women in real estate earning the same amount as men, with flexible schedules that provided them the freedom I dreamed of having in a career. I did make that career choice, I had a lot of success and earned a great income. After a divorce, I went to law school and entered the legal profession in 1996.
But while real estate had a level playing field, the legal profession did not. It turned out I’d chosen a male-dominated profession which had only made gradual changes. From 1950 to 1970, only 3% of all lawyers were women. According to the American Bar Association, that percentage has edged up in small increments since – 8 percent in 1980, 20 percent in 1991, 27 percent in 2000, 37 percent in 2021.
Although 54 percent of all law school students identified as female in 2021, the upper echelons of the legal profession have remained largely out of reach: Today, 79 percent of all law firm equity partners are male. The federal judiciary is overwhelmingly dominated by judges who are white and male, and it’s hardly changed in the last four years, according to statistics from the Federal Judicial Center.
Why does that matter? Consider that 54 percent of US Senators and 37 percent of House members have a law degree. Including both the House of Representatives and the Senate, just 27 percent of seats are held by women. While that’s a 50% increase from the number of women serving a decade ago, it doesn’t even come close to fair representation.
A Level Playing Field South of the Border
I’m thankful every day that my husband and I moved to Mexico.
Stereotypically, the country is known for its macho culture. Now Mexico has become one of the world’s leaders in gender political equality. In Mexico, fully one half of Congress is female, and of the country’s 32 governors, 7 are women. While this is partly due to changing attitudes, federally mandated gender equality laws are what really moved the needle.
It began in the 1990s when Mexico’s opposition party succeeded in passing electoral reforms that put an end to one-party rule. During that time, Mexican women smartly demanded fair gender political representation. In 1996, a very weak recommendation was made that total congressional candidates include 30% women. Then in 2002, that percentage was increased to 40% AND it became a mandate. In 2014, it increased again to fully 50% of all candidates.
In 2019, Mexico went even further when legislators passed a constitutional amendment mandating gender parity in everything. The move was completely unprecedented, certainly in Latin America but also worldwide. This policy means women have a shot at top jobs in ALL levels of government, from cabinet positions to governorships.
For the first time in history, fully 50 percent of lawmakers in Mexico’s lower house of Congress are female.This shift is utterly remarkable, given the fact that Mexican women didn’t win the right to vote for president until 1953. This sea change highlights the power of gender quotas, which have become increasingly popular in legislatures worldwide.
How long must American women wait for gender political parity? Political power means economic power. While civilian women over age 16 in the workforce represent 58% of the total US population, female lawmakers make up a mere 27% of Congress. Only 9 of 50 states have female governors. Perhaps it’s time for the United States to take a page out of Mexico’s playbook so political representation more closely matches the demographics of the governed.
Dawn Fleming and her husband Tom own and operate Overseas Life Redesign, a global coaching and consulting company that encourages others to discover their dreams and turn them into reality. Her Overseas Life Redesign podcast, shares success stories of international retirement as well as advice for experiencing life abroad. Her upcoming book, Claim Your Dream Life: How to Retire in Paradise on a Shoestring Budget, launches March 29 from Morgan James Publishing.
