Where the Women Aren’t: The Stimulus Plan Conference Committee
Posted on | February 11, 2009 |
Women represent 51% of the population in America today. I’d venture to say that this particular 51% has been suffering just as much, if not more, than the other 49% from the economic downturn. Women already make about $.23 less than men on the dollar, so when pennies need to be pinched, it’s much harder to get those pennies from a dollar than it is from $.77.
Given these widely-accepted statistics, one would logically think that the solution must include women in order to benefit everyone. But apparently Congressional leaders didn’t see fit to make that simple judgment call, and no women are on the conference committee debating the two versions of the bill:
The senators who are members of the conference are Reid, Max Baucus, D-Mont., Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, Thad Cochran, R-Mo., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. The House is sending Reps. David Obey, D-Wis., Charles Rangel, D-N.Y, Henry Waxman, D-Calif., Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., and Mike Camp, R-Mich., to the meetings
And to be honest, I had to find that quote from Fox News of all places, because it was so hard to find a listing from a news source of exactly who was on the committee. That alone tells you quite a bit.
I hope that the conference committee comes up with a plan that helps move America forward, but I can’t help but be skeptical when the committee fails to reflect even the measly diversity present in Congress, let alone the diversity in America’s citizenry.
When something like this comes forward that affects all of us so deeply, it is regretable that Congress cannot include more people from various backgrounds to help solve the problems we all face.
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February 11th, 2009 @ 7:15 pm
Very glad to see someone else writing about this…happenstance. I actually learned about it from an email I received from the Sciene Debate 08 folks who are looking to plug the science-related money in the stimulus plan. They had a chart of the committee and that's when I noticed the absence of women. I like your blog, too.