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

 

Ardern’s exit after “unprecedented” threats shows toll of burnout for women leaders

Ivana Saric, Axios

Yesterday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern–who was the youngest woman head of government when she was elected in 2017–announced that she will resign from her position next month. Ardern cited burnout in her resignation announcement. As Saric writes, “the vitriol aimed at Ardern during her tenure reflects wider trends that directly impact many women in politics.”

Read the full story here.

Why we’re watching the 2024 Senate race in California

Errin Haines, The 19^th*

Both Representative Barbara Lee and Representative Katie Porter have indicated that they intend to run for the California Senate seat currently held by Dianne Feinstein in 2024. Senator Feinstein, who is the longest-serving woman in Congress and the oldest member (at 89), has not announced whether she plans to run for reelection in 2024. As Haines writes, “The race is sure to be one of the most expensive and most watched in the country. With at least two formidable and distinct women candidates entering the race, the contest again thrusts gender onto the national stage in a state with a trailblazing legacy.”

Read the full story here.

The Missouri House tightens its dress code for women, to the dismay of Democrats

Rachel Treisman, NPR

In the Missouri State House of Representatives earlier this month, a proposed dress code amendment sparked a “heated conversation about workplace wardrobes.” The dress code amendment applies to women lawmakers and would require jackets (defined as blazers and knit blazers).

Republican Representative Ann Kelley proposed the amendment, and a number of House Democrats criticized the changes. Representative Raychel Proudie said, “There are some very serious things that are in this rule package that I think we should be debating, but instead we are fighting, again, for a woman’s right to choose something, and this time [it’s] how she covers herself.” In defense of the amendment, Kelley said, “How is encouraging professionalism wrong? If there is ever a time to honor traditions and be professional it is on the House Chamber Floor in the Missouri House of Representatives; I will not apologize for standing up for these things.”

Read the full story here.

 

In Michigan, Democratic women are rising. Now some are weighing a Senate run.

Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post

Senator Debbie Stabenow, the first woman to represent Michigan in the Senate, recently announced that she will retire from Congress. In the wake of her announcement, “several prominent Democratic women are now deciding whether to run for the seat in 2024,” according to Itkowitz.

Among those who are either considering a run or whose names have been floated as possibilities for the seat are Representative Elissa Slotkin, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Representative Haley Stevens, Representative Debbie Dingell, and State Senator Mallory McMorrow. The pipeline of potential women who could run for Stabenow’s seat points to “a system that recruits and encourages women to run for office,” according to Michigan Democrats interviewed by Itkowitz.

Read the full story here.