Welcome to the Media Round Up! Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories.

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Katie Porter Enters Race to Succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom

POLITICO, Melanie Mason

On Tuesday, Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) launched her gubernatorial bid. She enters a field that is rife with possible contenders but “light on action,” as several Democratic hopefuls have indicated that they would stand aside if former Vice President Kamala Harris enters the race. Absent Harris, Porter has “considerable advantages” to win the governor’s mansion, as she has repeatedly won tough House races in “swingy” Orange County; additionally, she has solid name recognition and fundraising prowess. An internal polling memo released by Porter’s campaign showed her favored by 36 percent of both Democratic and independent voters, a sizable advantage over other declared candidates.

Stefanik’s Nomination for U.N. Ambassador Will Begin Moving Ahead

The New York Times, Annie Karni

Representative Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) Senate confirmation vote has a scheduled date to begin the process. On April 2, she will be released from the House and begin the Senate confirmation vote process after waiting weeks to do so. Rep. Stefanik’s confirmation has been put off because of a slim Republican majority in the House, with the party not wanting to lose any votes. She was the first cabinet pick announced by President Trump. If confirmed, Rep. Stefanik will serve as ambassador to the United Nations.

New Global Data and Trends on Women in Power

New data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women unfortunately reveal limited progress in achieving gender parity in political leadership. According to the 2025 edition of the IPU-UN Women “Women in politics” map, which presents the latest rankings of women in national parliaments and executive roles as of the beginning of this year, men outnumber women by more than three times in legislative and executive positions. Women’s representation in cabinet positions and ministries has declined, while the growth of women in parliaments and governing bodies has continued to “stall.” A “troubling pattern” shows that women in power do not always translate into broader gender equality: although Germany, India, and Pakistan have been led by three powerful women, gender parity across other metrics in these nations remain low. With such limited representation, some women who do win elected office often feel a responsibility to be a role model for young women; U.S. transportation secretary Elaine Chao, for example, recently said that she wants to give young women “strength and hope and confidence” as she herself grew up without many role models of women in power. “Just because there are no role models doesn’t mean that you can’t be the future role model that you now seek,” Chao said.

Systemic Financial Barriers to Gender Equality

According to a recent analysis from the Pew Research Center, in 2024 women still earned only an average of 85 percent of what men earned. This finding is only slightly better than 2003, when women earned 81 percent of what men did. Though women have been told for years that it is their responsibility to close the gender pay gap by asking their employers for raises, Glassdoor’s chief worklife expert, Adam Grant, contends that employers need to foster environments that encourage salary transparency and open dialogue about pay, motivating both men and women employees to ask to be compensated equitably. Systemic barriers also prevent women from moving up the corporate ladder; women are more likely to receive higher performance ratings than men, but female employees on average were 14 percent less likely to be promoted compared to their male colleagues. Even if women successfully negotiate with their employers to earn more, financial microaggressions may prevent them from maximizing their disposable income. Pink taxes and pink tariffs cause women to spend more money than men on the same products – a troubling finding, since women drive 70 to 80 percent of consumer spending. This ‘invisible bias’ is estimated to cost women $2.5 billion a year.

Abortion Access Troubles

After the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion bans have been enacted in several states. New data from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows women most affected by the bans were in three groups: Black and Hispanic, did not have a college degree, and lived furthest from a clinic. Abortion rates have gone down in states like Texas but increased nationally. On average, women who once lived 50 miles from a clinic now live 300 miles away. A midwife and her associate were arrested in Texas on charges of illegally providing abortions and practicing medicine without a license. The midwife, Maria Margarita Rojas, allegedly operated clinics in the greater Houston area. She and her associate were held on $500,000 bond. Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, said he is dedicated to protecting the state’s pro-life policies. The chief legal counsel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) resigned after pressure from Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), who attacked her for “pro-abortion” rulings related to access to Mifepristone, an abortion pill. Hilary Perkins, a pro-life  conservative, said Senator Hawley’s allegations are false and that she “simply followed my oath as a Department of Justice career attorney” in providing fair rulings. Perkins was hired at the Department of Justice under President Trump’s first administration, but resigned just three days after her transfer to the FDA.

Transgender Policy and Care in Prisons

Cristina Iglesias worked to revolutionize trans healthcare in prisons, but her work is now being undone by the Trump administration. She spent three years working to be transferred to a women’s prison and receive gender affirming surgery from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the first of its kind. But President Trump’s executive orders relating to transferring transwomen to men’s prisons, transmen to women’s prisons, and a ban on federal funding to prisoner gender-affirming surgery has undone Iglesias’ efforts. Speaking of putting trans women in men’s prisons, she said “It’d be like putting sheep in a hyenas’ den.” Its estimated that transgender inmates are 10 times as likely to be victims of sexual assault than non-transgender inmates. A U.S. district judge ordered two transwomen to be returned to a women’s prison after Trump’s executive order moved them to men’s prisons. Both women had been receiving hormone therapy from the Bureau of Federal Prisons and Judge Royce Lamberth noted the “irreparable harm” done in their transfer. Both inmates have alleged abuse in the men’s prisons from inmates and corrections officers alike. Last month, the Trump administration said of 2,200 transgender inmates in federal prisons, only 22 trans women were housed in women’s prisons.

Nita Lowey, Tenacious New York Representative, Dies at 87

New York Times, Joseph P. Fried

Former Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) died at her home on Saturday at age 87 after a battle with metastatic breast cancer. During her 32 years in office, Lowey represented a Westchester-based congressional district, where she supported and advanced progressive causes. Called a “master legislator” who sought to find common ground where she could, Lowey was the first woman to lead the House Appropriations Committee, a powerful body that influences government spending laws. Throughout her tenure in the House, Lowey sponsored legislation that aimed to protect the liberal agenda, including a woman’s right to health services and abortions, child care and early education programs, and increased federal funding for homeless programs.