Media Round Up: Week of December 8th

 

Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week:

Why Aren’t More Women Breaking Out In The Democratic Primary?

By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, FiveThirtyEight

Last week Kamala Harris dropped out of the presidential race. While sexism is not the only reason for her exit from the campaign, we can’t deny it played a part in the challenges she faced on the trail. As soon as she stepped out of the gates her record was under scrutiny, a phenomenon the Barbara Lee Family Foundation calls the “ethical pedestal.” Amanda Hunter says, “Because voters expect women to be more virtuous and straightforward, they’re more likely to hold it against female candidates when their honesty is questioned.”

You can read the full article here.

It’s the Year of the Woman – again. And there’s ‘no other option’ for these women running for Congress

By Lindsay Schnell, USA Today

2018 was a monumental year for women in politics, but some wondered if the momentum would last into the 2020 elections. We’re happy to report that it will. In addition to the women running again after having lost in 2018, there are also a whole bunch of new faces popping up all over the map. Congressional candidate, Gina Ortiz Jones, wonders why this so shocking: “You can’t be surprised when the most vulnerable people…raise their hand and say, ‘Hey, I have something to say about that.’”

You can read the full article here.

Twice as many Texas Republican women running for Congress in 2020

By Andrea Zelinski, the Houston Chronicle

Currently, the majority of women campaigning and holding office are Democrats. However, Republican women are fighting to change that. Just like Democratic women, they’re sick of the status quo, and the numbers in Texas prove it. 30 Republican women have filed to run in Texas, more than twice as many that ran in 2018. Their efforts show that gender parity can’t and shouldn’t be one-sided.

You can read the full article here.

She’s 16 and Wants to Be President: Meet the Teenagers Planning Their Campaigns

By Maggie Astor, New York Times

Political scientist, Melissa Deckman, says that Generation Z is the first generation in which women appear to be more politically active than men. After reading Maggie Astor’s interview with some of these young women, we can certainly believe it. Inspired by the youth movements taking over our country and empowered by women’s recent historic wins, these girls are taking notes. In the words of 16-year-old Abby Cumming-Vukovic, “President is the ultimate goal, of course.”

You can read the full article here.

TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year: Greta Thunberg

By Charlotte Alter, Suyin Haynes, and Evgenia Arbugaeva, Time

On Wednesday, Time Magazine revealed Greta Thunberg to be their “2019 Person of the Year,” the youngest person ever to received the title. Interested in learning more about her? Take a look to see how she went from being a sole protester in front of the Swedish Parliament to helming one of the largest political movements in history. Her legacy is not one that will soon be forgotten.

You can read the full article here.

 

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