Women’s Suffrage, 100 Years of the 19th Amendment

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting American women the right to vote. As our nation celebrates 100 years of women’s suffrage, we look back at the push for women – including minority segments of African American and Native American women – to not only have their voices heard and counted among the public, but also among our country’s leadership.

While 50.8 percent of the U.S. population is female, only 23.2 percent of the House of Representatives and 26 percent of the Senate is female. At the state level in Ohio, only 28.9 percent of legislators and 29.3 percent of elected officials are female. And to this day, our country has yet to elect a woman to the Oval Office.

It was once said by Madeleine Albright that women in power “can be counted on to raise issues that others overlook, to support ideas that others oppose, and to seek an end to abuses that others accept.” In this forum, our panelists will look at the women’s suffrage movement in the context of the political landscape we see today and explore why women do not have more of a presence in today’s politics.

Featuring Megan Wood, Director, Cultural Resources Division, Ohio History Connection, Jen Miller, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio, and Treva Lindsey, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, The Ohio State University. Hosted by Ann Fisher, host of All Sides with Ann Fisher at WOSU Public Media.