Why Congress Needs Women

Bringing Sanity to the House and Senate

Michele A. Paludi

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781440832710
• eBook ISBN: 9798216165156
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book addresses women's civil strategies for negotiation and leadership through careful analysis of social science research and management theory as well as interviews with women legislators, documenting how women in Washington are affecting the development of the world at all levels. In October 2013, after the war between Republican and Democratic men in Congress resulted in a government shutdown, Time magazine referred to the women legislators as "the only adults left in Washington." In Why Congress Needs Women: Bringing Sanity to the House and Senate, editor Michele A. Paludi and various contributors explain how women in Washington have redefined leadership and power by embracing a transformational leadership style: a style that incorporates empowerment, ethics, nurturance, inclusiveness, and social justice, transcending their own self-interests for the good of the group—or, in the case of the shut-down, for the good of the nation. A resource that will prove invaluable for anyone interested in politics and leadership as well as students taking courses in politics, women's studies, gender studies, or management, the chapters provide an in-depth review of the ways women in Washington are striving to find lasting solutions to our nation's challenges. The contributors document the mindset and methodologies women legislators are using to achieve their legislative goals and work toward creating gender-equitable environments in Washington's well-established climate where bullying, harassment, and sexual exploitation is perceived as normative. Insights from interviews with women senators and congress members enhance the scholarship discussed in this book.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Series Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin
• Senator Margaret Chase Smith
• Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm
• Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers
• Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum
• Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
• Congresswoman Maxine Waters
• Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
• Senator Dianne Feinstein
• Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
• Congresswoman Elise Stefanik
• Senator Barbara Mikulski
• Appendix A: Organizations Dealing with Women, Leadership, and Politics
• Appendix B: National Resources: Campaign Trainings for Women
• About the Editor and Contributors
• Index