Change, But Slowly

I'd say the odds are overwhelmingly against the United States having its first woman president, but at the same time "The 16 women serving in the U.S. Senate and 74 women members in the House of Representatives represent an all-time high in both chambers." Obviously, with women being 50-51 percent of the population that's as much a sign of how far we fall short as of how far we've come, but it's still worth noting.

The number of women in the House is very likely to rise as a result of Democratic pickups, and Jeanne Shaheen is extremely likely to become a U.S. Senator though she may be offset by the Louisiana race. Turnover in the congress is, due to the large incumbent advantage, a slow process but I think we are inching toward equity. Meanwhile, it still seems to me that Nancy Pelosi's ascension to become the first woman Speaker has been under-remarked-upon. I suppose the public at large doesn't quite realize how powerful that office is.