Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Infographic Shows How Much Power In Washington Skews Toward Men
By
Clarisa Diaz
and
Karen Frillmann
Published Sep 27, 2018
Modified Sep 27, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Jen Carlson / Gothamist
By
Clarisa Diaz
and
Karen Frillmann
Published Sep 27, 2018
Modified Sep 27, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
If the looming midterm elections didn’t have women voters fired up enough, the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh has put them over the top. A record-breaking number of women are running for office this year, as they did in 1992, and recent polling shows the GOP losing ground among female Republican voters. As the Kavanaugh nomination to the Supreme Court continues to roil the Senate, one can't help but wonder about how it might be different if more seats were held by women.
There is a sense that very little progress has been made. In a state that prides itself on being a leader in progressive politics, we’ve never had a female mayor in New York City or a female Governor in New York State. Now the country finds itself looking head on into the face of power... the kind of power that in this moment feels immutable. Like it's just there and always will be.
A male gender identity holds the kind of power that is on display in our Capitol today. In fact, it has for a long time—just take one look at this data visualization. It tells the story of just how much women have been underrepresented in U.S. history.
(Clarisa Diaz, WNYC/Gothamist)
We are just weeks from an election. It is, increasingly, conventional wisdom that this will be a “wave” election—a big, partisan shift toward the Democratic Party. It’s more accurately described as a wave of women (and some men) who are no longer taking male power for granted. This election could well make history, and not because of policy or ideology, or even any one person—but because this is a moment in which we are finally calling the question: Do white men still have a singular claim to real power in our society, in our politics?
<
To learn more about how we arrived at this moment, check out The United States of Anxiety: Gender and Power podcast from WNYC Studios.
Loading...
Tagged
midterms 2018
united states of anxiety
original
Clarisa Diaz
Read more
Karen Frillmann
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
The deal would compensate over 1,300 alleged victims and help the church avoid bankruptcy.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 6:31 p.m. ET
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .