Welcome to the Media Round Up! This week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories.

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Grijalva Swearing-In Gridlocked

On Tuesday, House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House GOP leaders refused Democrats’ requests to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who was elected last week in a special contest to replace her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ). Grijalva’s swearing-in would narrow the Republican margin in the House and give Democrats more power as they seek to confront President Trump’s agenda. The decision to block her swearing-in ceremony also impedes a petition to force a vote on a bill to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein; Grijalva has already vowed to sign the discharge petition. U. S. House House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark wrote to Speaker Johnson questioning the delay. “Any delay in swearing in Representative-elect Grijalva unnecessarily deprives her constituents of representation and calls into question if the motive behind the delay is to further avoid the release of the Epstein files,” Clark wrote.

House Democrats call for investigation into release of Mikie Sherrill’s military records
POLITICO

Last month, in the midst of a tense battle for the governor’s seat in New Jersey, Republican candidate Jack Ciatarelli obtained unredacted documents about Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate. Now, House Democrats have called for an investigation into the release of Sherrill’s military records. The entire New Jersey Democratic delegation also calls for an investigation, stating “under no circumstances should any veteran who answered the call of duty to serve our country have to worry about their sensitive military records being leaked and used as part of a political smear campaign.” The National Personnel Records Center, a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, had released improperly redacted personal files, including Sherrill’s social security number, and other private information regarding her military service. The NPRC released a statement that the technician who handled the records request did not follow procedures and they had contacted Sherrill’s office about the breach.

Most Powerful Women In Washington 2025
Washingtonian

Some of the most influential women in Washington who are shaping politics, business, education, law, and media are highlighted as they continue to effect change in the nation’s capital. Among those featured are Lea Bardon, current White House Cabinet Secretary and Pam Bondi, US Attorney general. Other notable women highlighted include Michelle Bowman, the Trump-appointed Federal Reserve governor and former bank commissioner of Kansas, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, current Secretary of Labor and Oregon’s first Republican woman elected to Congress.

Intense and Intentional Training Is Helping Democratic Women Gain State Lawmaking Seats
US News

A slew of organizations have provided intensive and intentional training to help assist progressive Democratic women. These organizations include political action committees that endorse and contribute to candidates and educational programs that allow women to learn the basics of campaigning. One prominent organization is Emily’s List. Notably, Emily’s List claims to have raised nearly $950 million in pursuit of electing women and claims to have helped over 1,600 women achieve state and local office. Another organization, Emerge, has provided campaign education in pursuit of electing Democratic women to state and local offices. Currently, Emerge claims to have trained over 6,500 women, with around 1,200 serving in office. While the number of Democratic women in office has increased due to these organizations, Republican women lag behind in numbers, due to a finite number of resources and organizations.

US Military to Effectively Exclude Women From Top Combat Roles

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled new directives to over 800 military leaders at a Marine base in Virginia this week, announcing that all designated combat arms roles would revert to the “highest male standard only,” effectively reversing a 2015 directive that opened all combat roles to women. He went on to say “if women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it.” Women veterans, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), are denouncing Hegseth’s directives; in response to his orders, Duckworth said that “it’s the exact message he wants to send, which is you’re not welcome here.” The directives also reform the Pentagon Inspector General’s office and Equal Opportunity offices, and will eliminate anonymous complaints for issues such as racial discrimination or sexual harassment. Hegseth reaffirmed his goal for a “warrior ethos” at the Pentagon, which includes undergoing a physical fitness exam twice a year and achieving particular height and weight standards.

The State of Our Nation: Gauging Americans’ Political Opinions in 2025
The 19th*, Jasmine Mithani & Terri Rupar

The fourth annual poll from The 19th* and SurveyMonkey has provided significant insight into American’s political opinions in 2025, focusing on motivations among voters, gender roles, gender-affirming care, and rising costs. The poll found that the approval rating for President Trump is much lower among women than men – especially among Gen Z. Notably, the poll found that those who most identify abortion as a top voting issue are more likely to support banning it, rather than protecting access. This suggests a possible reversion to the status quo before the fall of Roe v Wade. With concern to gender roles, the poll found that half of respondents believe that society would benefit from a return to traditional gender roles, with 6 in 10 men agreeing compared to 4 in 10 women agreeing. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans believe that gender-affirming care will become less accessible over the course of their lifetime, a sharp increase from the 20% that agreed with this statement just last year. While 53% of Americans believe that transgender adults should have access to gender-affirming care, only 37% believe that transgender minors should have the same access. Finally, the poll found that women were more likely to say they were worried about rising costs, with 67% of women worried compared to 60% of men.

What Trump’s New Civics Education Program Means for Women’s History
POLITICO, Emma Cordover

Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced a new civics education program for schools, led by the America First Policy Institute, in addition to 40 other conservative groups. These groups include Moms for Liberty, Turning Point USA, and the Heritage Foundation. The initiative is “dedicated to renewing patriotism, strengthening civic knowledge, and advancing a shared understanding of America’s founding principles in schools across the nation.” Critics are concerned about educational components surrounding women’s history. While critics believe that the initiative will work to erase women’s history, they also believe that it will work to reinforce restrictive gender roles. In response to a query, the U.S. Department of Education stated that the agency “does not control curriculum or determine academic standards and instruction in public schools — federal law explicitly prohibits that. Those are state and local responsibilities. The Department’s press release states, ‘the coalition will unveil a robust programming agenda, including the Fundamental Liberties College Speaker Series and a 50-state speaking tour on college campuses nationwide.”

Women’s Healthcare at Risk 

In today’s political climate, women and their healthcare are becoming increasingly at risk.The government shutdown is making many women question what will happen to their coverage. It comes as lawmakers decide whether or not to continue healthcare subsidies. This debate comes after the cuts to premium tax credits and Medicaid. If these stick, it will be a quiet repeal of the Affordable Care Act, with women facing the brunt of it. Medicaid expansion under the ACA has decreased postpartum hospitalizations by 17%, and covers nearly half of US births. Women make 80% of healthcare decisions for families, so when healthcare is disrupted, they aren’t the only ones feeling the pain. Women have also become vulnerable to prosecution while they are pregnant. After the fall of Roe v Wade in 2021, prosecutors in 16 states charged more than 400 people with pregnancy-related crimes. A vast majority of these cases took place in the US south, targeted low-income women, and involved allegations that women broke laws against child abuse, endangerment or neglect. Pregnant women are under more scrutiny than ever before. The recent announcement of Tylenol possibly being the cause of autism has impacted another community – the adult female autistic community. There are fears that the intense focus on Tylenol or its causes will take away resources from autistic people, especially women, who have been simultaneously marginalized and blamed.

Why Are So Many Black Women Losing Their Jobs? An Expert Blames Three Factors
CBS News, Courtney Cole

Though the overall unemployment rate in the United States is only 4.3 percent, the data tells a different story when it comes to Black women: their unemployment rate has jumped to 6.7 percent, which one expert has called a “warning sign.” Corporate America’s retreat from DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is one of the reasons that over 300,000 Black women left the workforce between February and April. Federal government layoffs have also contributed to an increase in the unemployment rate amongst Black women, as there are more Black women working for the federal government than in the private sector, and they have thus been disproportionately impacted by the layoffs. Additionally, small businesses cutting back due to tariff policies have hurt Black women, many of whom have gotten hired by these companies. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) called Black women the “economic indicator for what that means for everyone else,” noting that it is “advantageous for us to better understand exactly what is happening to Black women and then do something about it.”

50/50 Women On Boards™ Annual Gender Diversity Index™ Report Reveals Setback In Board Diversity
PRNewswire

50/50 Women on Boards™, a global non-profit education and advocacy group dedicated to “positively impacting corporate governance” announced that women hold 30.1 percent of the Russell 3000 Index company board seats as of June 30, 2025. This represents a meager 0.1 percentage point increase from just 30 percent in the second quarter of 2024 – the smallest gain in “over a decade.” The 50/50 Women on Boards Gender Diversity Index shows that the percentage of women joining corporate boards has stalled, and the number of new seats gained compared to previous years has decreased. Despite this harrowing finding, momentum does continue in important areas: when women hold leadership roles, boards near gender equality at 48 percent, with more than 20 percent of the seats held by people of color. Additionally, companies with the largest market share now have at least 35 percent women on their boards.