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

Just 37 members of Congress are mothers with minor children

Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th*

According to a new report released by the Vote Mama Foundation, mothers with minor children are vastly underrepresented in Congress and highly outnumbered by fathers with minor children. For moms in Congress to reach proportional representation with the general population of the U.S., 59 more mothers of minor children would need to be elected. 11 fathers have welcomed children to their families within the past year, in comparison to only 11 mothers total having given birth while serving in office. The reports from Vote Mama are considered the first comprehensive look at parenthood as an identity in public office on the state and federal level. Some of the barriers preventing mothers’ representation in office include fluctuation in work hours and near constant fundraising. 

Read the full story here. 

 

Sister of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer enters New York congressional race

John Wagner, Washington Post 

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s sister, small-business owner Liz Gereghty, announced her Democratic bid for a New York congressional seat lost by the party last year. The seat is currently held by Representative Michael Lawler (R) and represents the northern New York City suburbs. In her campaign announcement, Gereghty highlighted her work with the local school board and described herself as someone who can “find common ground and make things happen.” As of now, Gereghty is the lone Democrat in the race, but that could change in the coming weeks. 

Read the full story here. 

 

How Hair Discrimination Affects Black Women at Work

Janice Gassam Asare, Harvard Business Review

The CROWN Act, which stands for “creating a respectful and open world for natural hair,” provides protections against race-based hair bias and bans discrimination based on hair texture and styles like braids, twists, and locs. While the CROWN Act has been adopted by 20 states, hair discrimination is still not outlawed at the federal level in America. Recent studies have shown that Black women’s hair is two-and-a-half times more likely to be deemed unprofessional, and twenty percent of Black women surveyed between the ages of 25 and 34 have been sent home from work due to their hair. Experts suggest that to alleviate hair bias and discrimination towards Black women in the workforce, company leaders should focus on three areas: awareness, employee feedback, and objectivity. 

Read the full story here. 

Angela Alsobrooks launches bid for Maryland Senate seat

Ekaterina Pechenkina, Politico

Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George’s County Executive, officially launched her bid to replace retiring Democratic Senator Ben Cardin on Tuesday. A week after Cardin announced he would not run for reelection, Alsobrooks is the third candidate to throw their hat in the ring for the seat. If elected, Alsobrooks would only be the third Black woman to serve in the Senate. In her campaign announcement video, Alsobrooks announced that she is running to increase the representation of people that grew up, think, and look like her. 

Read the full story here. 

The Same Work but a Lot Less Pay for Women. Welcome to Tennis in 2023.

Matthew Futterman, New York Times

The Italian Open begins in Rome this week. Both men and women will play in the same best-of-three-sets format, on the same courts, and the same tournament, with the same-price ticket for both men’s matches and women’s matches. The main difference in all of this: men will compete for $8.5 million, whereas women will compete for $3.9 million. The pay discrepancy in prize money highlights how the market still values men’s sports more highly than women’s, especially for sponsorships and media rights.  

Read the full story here.