U.S. Politics & Government - 20th Century, U.S. Politics & Government - 1992-2001, The United States Congress - General & Miscellaneous

A Woman's Place

Name: A Woman's Place
Author: Barbara Jordan
ISBN: 9780517597132

by Barbara Jordan

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Overview

In what has come to be called the Year of The Woman, the largest class of freshmen women in history was elected to Congress, an event spurred in part by the reaction to the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings. A Woman's Place... is the story of their first eight months in Congress. Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky - with the cooperation of the other freshmen women - chronicles her journey and that of her colleagues, from their swearing-in to her own dramatic budget vote. The Congresswomen reveal a great deal of common ground: a commitment to "women's issues," which they see as important to everyone; a different style of managing, legislating, communicating, and consensus-building, which they hope to impress on the status quo; the desire to put a new spin on the broad range of issues held to be "male issues," simply by being there and presenting the female perspective; and a shared feeling that although women representatives constitute only 11 percent of the House, in many respects they speak for 52 percent of the population. They also speak with great candor about themselves, their goals, and their impressions of the body of which they've become a part, and directly address their view of their role in Congress as women. In an exclusive interview, Hillary Rodham Clinton adds her voice to theirs and those of senior Congresswomen, congressional husbands, and freshmen and senior Congressmen on the subject of the changing role of women in government. Laced with anecdotes and experiences, A Woman's Place. . . presents an exciting self-portrait of a unique group of women at the forefront of a power shift.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In an exciting, instructive group portrait, Margolies-Mezvinsky ( They Came to Stay ), a Democratic representative from Pennsylvania, assisted by researcher-writer Feinman, here shows the challenges confronting 24 congressional female ``freshmen'' (including herself) elected in 1992--a year touted by the Democratic Party as the ``Year of the Woman.'' The new members--a granddaughter of slaves among them--many of whom were inspired by Anita Hill and by the model afforded by veteran congresswoman Pat Schroeder of Colorado, candidly recount their struggles for recognition in a ``good-old-boys club'' and their efforts to secure assignment to powerful committees. The group has succeeded in winning funds for breast and cervical cancer research but has also weathered defeat of Medicaid abortion funding. As Arizona freshman Karan English concludes, ``mastering the Capitol Hill game'' is essential to ``breaking through the glass ceiling.'' Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.)

Library Journal

By the time this book is published, the women representatives profiled here will be gearing up to campaign for reelection; their constituents can judge how much change they have accomplished. For now, Representative Margolies-Mezvinsky (D-Penn.), a former TV journalist, tells the story of the 24 women representatives elected in 1992. Some of the changes claimed by these women include a more task-oriented legislative style and a perspective on issues based on women's life experiences. Many of the anecdotes related here demonstrate that as women's numbers in Congress increase, so do their agenda-setting powers, increasing the focus on domestic issues. Of greatest interest to women's studies and political science collections and where interest in politics is high. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/93.-- Pamela R. Daubenspeck, Warren-Trumbull Cty. P.L., Warren, Ohio

School Library Journal

YA-This informal and personal account by a first-term congresswoman is a revealing series of interviews, anecdotes, and experiences centering on the 24 women elected to the House of Representatives in 1992. Margolies-Mezvinsky, a democrat from Pennsylvania, focuses on the common ground of women's issues as well as health care, education, and defense. The women discuss their goals, their areas of concern, as well as their perceptions of the House of Representatives, where they make up only 11% of the membership. They describe changing roles; the effects of women on government; and balancing family, political life, and constituents' concerns. A fresh perspective on the way government works.-Mary T. Gerrity, Queen Anne School Library, Upper Marlboro, MD

Mary Carroll

This will appeal to readers attuned to politics and the legislative process and to activists involved in the campaigns that elected more women to the House in 1992 than ever before. A 20-year NBC-TV news veteran elected to the House from Pennsylvania, Margolies-Mezvinsky interviewed all but one of the other freshman women as well as other, more senior members of Congress and interested observers including Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ellen Malcolm of Emily's List. The result is an interesting description of how the new female legislators got to Washington and how they learned to cope through the first "scary and exciting and sometimes frustrating" eight months of their terms. From behind-the-scenes maneuvering on the Hyde amendment and the Clinton budget (on which Margolies-Mezvinsky cast the decisive vote in the House) to the congressional version of the familiar problem of "juggling job and family," this account offers useful insights as well as interesting anecdotes. Expect plenty of media attention.