What shocked millions of viewers was the fact that the committee originally had decided not to investigate the charges brought against Thomas. The reason this happened, says Schroeder, is because of the imbalance of the committee's membership. All 14 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee were men. Schroeder says that what is true of the Judiciary Committee is true of Congress as a whole, it is not representative of the nation. But there is such a strong majority of men in Congress that it becomes like a locker room.
Minorities also are underrepresented.
He points out the African Americans make up only 7 percent of Congress. That is not enough to effectively represent the 30 million African Americans who make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, he says. Other Americans say that a lawmaker's race or gender does not mean that he or she cannot effectively represent his or her constituents. The problem, he says, lies with the voters. He is one of 19 Hispanic lawmakers in Congress, only 4 percent of the total.