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Frederick Muhlenberg became the first speaker of the house in 1789.
Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the house Thursday.
I guess we’ve come a long way. But why has it taken 218 years for this historic day to come?
It all depends on your perspective.
When I talk to people a few decades older than I am, they remind me how much has changed in their lifetimes — women working outside the home, women going to college to get an education instead of a husband, women not greeting their husbands at the door with a martini and slippers, and women running for office.
If you grew up in a time when women were always able to speak their minds, it just seems like we should’ve already had a female speaker of the house or two.
That’s not to discount the long, hard road it’s been for the generations of women before. It’s just hard to be patient.
Having Pelosi as the first female of the speaker of the house allows there to be a second and a third and a fourth.
“Becoming the first woman speaker will send a message to young girls and women across the country that anything is possible for them, that women can achieve power, wield power and breathe the air at that altitude,” Pelosi said Wednesday. “As the first woman speaker of the house, I will work to make certain that I will not be the last.”
It will undoubtedly inspire many women, but the real inspiration I’m looking for is when we’re done with all the female firsts. Let’s get to the point where it’s not a big deal for a woman to be speaker of the house or vice president or president.
Let’s drop the word female in front of the word doctor, lawyer, cop, firefighter, construction worker and all the other occupations that at one time were regarded as men’s jobs.
While we’re crashing the glass ceiling, let’s do it for all minorities. No more will it be a big deal for there to be a black secretary of state, let alone a female black secretary of state. Let’s have Keith Ellison be the first of many Muslims in Congress.
Like I said, it’s hard to be patient. These changes aren’t anywhere near to becoming reality, but we’re a whole lot closer to them than we were in 1789.
When Pelosi was first elected to her California district in 1987, there were 22 women in the House of Representatives. Now, there is a record 71 female representatives, giving women 16 percent of the seats.
There are still a lot of firsts left for women to achieve. Thanks to Pelosi, at least there’s one less.
Contact Käri Knutson at kknutson@winonadailynews.com or (507) 453-3523.
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Cinderella wrote on Jan 10, 2007 10:50 AM: