Congressional Representation – Representation of Women and Minority Groups
According to KimS (2025), the 119th Congress is the most ethnically diverse in the US’s history. A total of 67 (12%) representatives come from the African American community. These representatives include five senators and 62 members of the House. On the other hand, there are 52 representatives of the Hispanic Latino community, out of which seven are in the Senate and 45 in the House. Asian Americans’ representation in the Senate is 22, that is, 19 members of the House and three senators. Considering the total representatives of the Congress is 535, the aforementioned ethnic groups are still underrepresented despite the current Congress being the most diverse on paper.
According to Hajnal and Trounstine (n.d.), minority communities in the US, such as African Americans, Hispanic Latinos, and Asian Americans, are acutely underrepresented in national politics. The aforementioned minority communities constitute a quarter of America’s population, implying that their representation should be around 25% in national politics, a figure that is proportional to their population. However, the representation from Blacks, Latinos, and Asians is less than 5% of all representatives in national politics. Notably, African Americans are close to attaining proportional representation in the House of Representatives but are underrepresented at all other levels.
Undoubtedly, there is a growing trend pointing to increased representation among women and minorities. In the 119th Congress, the total number of elected women is 150. Besides, the 119th Congress is the most diverse, an indication that more members from minority communities are being elected. One of the contributors to the growing representation of women is the Women’s Movement. The movement has been particularly useful in triggering religious conversations among conservative communities concerned that electing women may compromise their family values (Greenberg & Page, 2020). Additionally, advocacy movements on the rights of minority communities have led to increased representation from minority groups.
The underrepresentation of women and minorities in Congress means that the issues of concern to these groups may not be addressed adequately. Research into legislative behavior shows that women are more likely to bring women’s issues for discussion compared to their male counterparts (Greenberg & Page, 2020). Legislators choose different priorities at the agenda-setting or bill-introduction stage of the Congressional legislative process, including pressing economic, social, and political issues. If there are more women, more issues facing women will be addressed. Besides, after a bill has been introduced on the floor of the house, minority and women representation matters because these groups will favor bills that benefit the constituents they represent or those they identify with. Such representation is particularly crucial in the House of Representatives since bills are passed on account of a simple majority.
Eliminating the inherent problem of Congressional underrepresentation of women and minority groups requires concerted efforts by the people. Sanbonmatsu (2020) avers that one of the challenges facing women, especially women of color, who wish to vie for elective office is limited access to campaign money. This makes it hard for such candidates to clinch party tickets. People should be willing to fundraise for these women to empower them to run for elective office. In the same breath, candidates from minority communities encounter similar challenges since they are likely to be economically disadvantaged compared to their white counterparts. The people can empower them by raising money that will facilitate their movement across districts and states as they communicate their campaign messages.
References
Greenberg, E., & Page, B. I. (2020). Struggle for democracy: 2018 elections and updates edition (12th ed.). Pearson.
Hajnal, Z., & Trounstine, J. (n.d.). Transforming votes into victories: Turnout, institutional context, and minority representation in local politics. https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/ch_4_hajnal_trounstine_3-9-07.pdf
KimS. (2025, January 8). DemDaily: The composition of the 119th Congress. DemList. https://www.demlist.com/demdaily-the-composition-of-the-119th-congress/
Sanbonmatsu, K. (2020). Women’s underrepresentation in the U.S. Congress. Daedalus, 149(1), 40–55. https://doi.org/10.1162/daed_a_01772
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Question 
Congressional Representation – Representation of Women and Minority Groups
Instructions
Research the proportion of three or more of the following: women, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and openly gay or lesbian members of Congress.
Congressional Representation
Reflect on what these patterns say about the nature of representation.
Why do you think some groups tend to be underrepresented in Congress?
Why do you see a trend in which more women and minorities are being represented?
Do you think the underrepresentation of women and minorities affects Congress’s business?
How might we, the citizens, as a people, address this situation and strive towards equal representation? Make sure to cite sources used.