Heading the list of Ms. Magazine's top ten victories for women in 2006, is the election of Nancy Pelosi as the first woman and first self-identified feminist Speaker of the House.
"This is What a Speaker Looks Like" is the title of the exclusive interview cover story in the winter issue of Ms. It will be on the newstands any day now.
Pasted below is a partial list of the feminist victories -- visit Ms. Magazine online for the full list.
POLITICS: 2006 is the breakthrough year of women leaders in the United States. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) becomes the first woman and first self-identified feminist Speaker of the House. As the third-in-line to the presidency, Pelosi now holds the highest public office achieved by a woman in United States history.
The 110th Congress will have the largest number of women chairing committees: including Representatives Louise Slaughter, Nydia Velazquez, Juanita Millender MacDonald, and Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer will all head committees beginning in January 2007.
Women voters led the way in the 2006 election: the gender gap proves to be a determining factor in electing the new Congress. If only men had voted, exit polls show that the Republicans would have maintained control of the Senate.
A record number of women were elected to Congress (90) and state legislative seats (1,731). However, the U.S. still lags behind many other countries with women comprising only 16.3 percent of Congress and 23.5 percent of state legislatures.
Voters send a pro-women's rights message when they decisively defeat a draconian abortion ban in South Dakota and parental notification measures in Oregon and California. Women voters led the drive to approve a minimum wage increase in six states (AZ, CO, MO, MT, NV, OH) and to defeat a ban on same-sex marriage in Arizona.
HEALTH: The Food and Drug Administration issues two approvals for women's health and lives: after a long campaign by women's rights and reproductive health organizations, emergency contraception is approved to be sold without a prescription for women 18 and over; Gardasil, a vaccine for women and girls that prevents the spread of certain strands of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer, is approved.
Gender Politics Nancy Pelosi News Ms. Magazine 2006 Feminism Patriarchy Feminist Politics
