Women in Congress

 

Broadcast: Feb 17, 2002
By Jerilyn Watson

Many years ago, a popular saying in America was, "A woman's place is in the home." But today, many people believe a woman's place is in the United States House of Representatives and Senate1. I'm Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Women in Congress is our report today on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

VOICE ONE:

More than half the people of voting age in the United States are female. But only fourteen percent of lawmakers in the current one-hundred-eighth Congress are women. There are one-hundred United States senators. Fourteen of them are women. There are four-hundred-thirty-five member of the House of Representatives. Fifty-nine women serve as voting members in the House.

Still, political experts say these women are gaining power and influence. The Congressional Quarterly publication recently told about twenty-six female members of Congress. The publication told about their lives and how they voted on important issues during the last Congress.

VOICE TWO:

Several women have important positions of power in the current Congress. Representative Nancy Pelosi is a Democrat¹ from the state of California. She is the first woman ever to serve as minority leader in the House of Representatives. This is the highest Congressional leadership position ever held by a woman.

California voters first elected Mizz Pelosi to the House of Representatives in nineteen-eighty-seven. In the last Congress, she was the top Democrat on the House Select Intelligence committee.

VOICE ONE:

Republican Deborah Pryce of the state of Ohio leads the House of Representatives Republican Conference. The job of conference chairman is the fourth most important in the Republican Party. Mizz Pryce is the first female to hold such an important job in about thirty years. The conference plans communications for   Republicans in the House.Among United States senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas is vice² chairman of the Republican Party Caucus³. The caucus plans communications for Senate Republicans. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland is secretary of the Senate Democratic Party caucus.

Other women in Congress are leaders of House and Senate committees or subcommitees. Only two women have led standing⁴ Senate committees in the past. But this year, two Republican women from Maine have these responsibilities. Senator Susan Collins leads the Governmental Affairs Committee. Senator Olympia J. Snowe heads the Small Business Committee.

VOICE TWO:

All but five American states have elected women to Congress. In the current Congress, voters in three states have elected women to both seats in the Senate. Both Republican Senators from Maine are women. Washington state has elected two Democratic women to the Senate. They are Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. The two Democratic Senators from California also are women. They are Barbara Boxer⁵ and Dianne Feinstein. (FINE-stine)

Two other women from California made history when they were elected to the House of Representatives in November. Democrats⁶ Loretta Sanchez and her sister Linda are the first sisters elected to serve in Congress at the same time.

VOICE ONE:

The women in Congress hold widely different opinions about issues. Some are liberal2 or moderate3. Others are conservative4. But they are similar in one way. Their work in Congress is generally not limited to traditional women's issues like education and health care. For example, Senator Hutchison is known for her work on America's defense⁷ and foreign policies. So is Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

It has not been easy for women to gain recognition as legislators. Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio has served the longest of any Democratic woman in the House of Representatives. Mizz Kaptur has written a book about women in Congress. Historically, few women have served in Congress. Over the years, only thirty-three women have been elected to the Senate. One-hundred-eighty-nine women have served in the House.

For years, many Americans disapproved⁸ of women who spoke⁹ in public about disputed issues. Many women who were mothers also limited themselves. For example, Mizz Kaptur says most women did not compete for Congressional office until their children were grown. This has kept many of them from gaining years of service in Congress. Legislators with seniority can lead committees. This means they command great power in the legislative¹⁰ process.

VOICE ONE:

Still, women have played an important part among America's lawmakers. Montana became the first state to elect a woman to Congress in nineteen-sixteen. Jeannette Rankin, a Republican, served one term in the House of Representatives. Many years later, in nineteen-forty, Montana voters again sent Mizz Rankin to the House.

She earned both praise and blame for her opposition¹¹ to war. Jeannette Rankin voted against the United States entering both the First World War and the Second World War. She was the only legislator to oppose each war.

A Republican Congresswoman from Ohio took the opposite position on war. Representative Frances Bolton served in the House of Representatives from nineteen-forty to nineteen-sixty-nine. Mizz Bolton urged equal rights for women. One of these was the right to serve in the military.

VOICE TWO:

Margaret Chase Smith is another Republican legislator who supported an unpopular position. She was the only woman ever elected to both the House of Representatives and the Senate. She served in the Senate from nineteen-forty-nine to nineteen-seventy-three.In nineteen-fifty, Mizz Smith made an important speech in the Senate. She severely¹² criticized Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. Senator McCarthy had made false charges against a number of public and military officials and entertainers. He falsely accused them of being Communists or sympathizing5 with Communists.

In nineteen-sixty-four, Margaret Chase Smith competed for the Republican party's nomination¹³ for president. She became the first woman ever to campaign for president in a major political party.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Many people believe women now serving in the Senate may compete to become the country's first female president. Some people say it will be Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Democratic senator from New York was elected in two-thousand. She is the wife of former President Bill Clinton. During the nineteen-nineties, Mizz Clinton proposed a plan to improve health care in the United States. Congress never voted on the plan. But her efforts helped establish Hillary Clinton as a serious politician.

VOICE TWO:

Republican Elizabeth Hanford Dole¹⁴ was elected to the Senate from North Carolina last November. Mizz Dole served in the administrations of six presidents over the years. She served as a Cabinet member two times. She also headed the American Red Cross for eight years. Her husband is former Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole.

Mizz Dole unsuccessfully competed for the Republican presidential nomination for the two-thousand election. When she withdrew from competition, she spoke of the difficulty of raising money for her campaign. Political experts said many people who might have given money to Missus Dole did not help her. They feared she could not possibly win because she is a woman.

VOICE ONE:

Senator Barbara Mikulski has served the longest of any woman in the Senate. She was first elected in nineteen-eighty-six. She has helped other women in Congress. Senator Mikulski believes women representatives and senators need all the help they can get.
Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm would agree. In nineteen-seventy-two, she became the first African American woman to compete for the Democratic presidential nomination. She says two facts reduced her effectiveness as a legislator. One was that she is an African American. The other was that she is a woman. Of the two, Mizz Chisholm says the most important limitation was being a woman.

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Mary Tillotson. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

1. Senate [5senIt] n. 参议院，上院
2. liberal [5lIb[r[l] n.自由主义者
3. moderate [5mCd[rIt] adj. 中等的，适度的
4. conservative [k[n5s[:v[tIv] adj. 保守的，守旧的
5. sympathize [5sImp[WaIz] vi. 同情，共鸣

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 disapproved   

v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

13 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

14 dole   

n.救济，（失业）救济金；vt.（out）发放，发给

参考例句：

• It's not easy living on the dole.靠领取失业救济金生活并不容易。
• Many families are living on the dole since the strike.罢工以来，许多家庭靠失业救济金度日。