That whether the number of women in office were higher or lower, the legislative process would go its merry way basically the same. This is hard to prove or disprove. Yet simple observation admittedly not always a reliable suggests the tone of the Legislature would be different were more women were found serving in the Upper and Lower House. As a general rule, women lawmakers seem less partisan than their male colleagues. This isn t always true, but in general it seems to be.
All lawmakers like to talk the family, the schools, the needs of the community.
It just often seems the observations of the women lawmakers ring truer than those of the men. But it s hard not to believe that women lawmakers bring to the Capitol a view of life men do not or cannot necessarily share. Currently, the Fourth Congressional District race offers a display of gender politics. Both of the endorsed candidates in the race, Sen. Linda Runbeck and Rep. Betty McCollum, are women. A woman has not represented Minnesota in Washington in decades.