Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406140220
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by MARY WELEK ATWELL
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
I remember in the early 70s when I first saw shirts and buttons with the slogan "A Woman's Place is in the House ... and in the Senate."
Almost 20 years later, 1992 was proclaimed the Year of the Woman, because at long last, women were elected to Congress in noticeable numbers. Even so, women who constitute over 50% of the population, remain pitifully underrepresented in the federal legislature, with 5% in the Senate and 11% in the House. As Congresswoman Margolies-Mezvinsky points out, however, the addition of 24 new female members to the House in the class of 1992 did have an impact on the institution.
Her book is a combination of anecdotes from the new women members, her own experiences, an interview with Hillary Rodham Clinton scattered through the text, and a few conclusions. Although Margolies-Mezvinsky reports a sampling of the infuriating sexist attitudes that persist on Capitol Hill (older members calling 50 year old women members "girls"; female members insulted by guards who assume the women must be staff; even demeaning comments on the floor of the House), she is more focused on the changes women bring to the institution. Margolies- Mezvinsky believes that women and men have different attitudes toward power.
While men see power as an end in itself, women tend to see power as a means to accomplish something. She attributes this difference to socialization and experience - once she becomes a mother, a woman no longer puts her own needs' and wishes first.
Almost all of the 24 women elected to Congress in 1992 have families (Margolies-Mezvinsky herself has eleven children _ adopted, step, sponsored, and homemade), most are middle aged (40s and 50s), five are African-American, two are Hispanic. The majority got into politics the way women have usually done, by getting interested in a community problem and discovering that the way to address it was through the political system.
They are women who have balanced responsibilities to family and work throughout their lives. Most continue to do so, commuting weekly between Washington D.C. and their home districts where their families remain. It is a grueling and exhausting lifestyle, but one that should ensure that these members of Congress are sensitive to the challenges faced by families in the real world.
Unfortunately, any book on contemporary politics quickly becomes somewhat dated as the urgency surrounding a particular debate recedes. On the other hand, Margolies-Mezvinsky has struck a nice balance between personalities and issues. It will be interesting to follow the fortunes of these freshmen women and any additional female members of Congress through the 1994 elections.
Mary Welek Atwell teaches at Radford University.
by CNB