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Women’s News: Congress loses ground on women

Women’s News: Congress loses ground on women

Plus: The 14-year-old helping teen girls in L.A., the National Mall's first women's monument, women over 50 dominate the Golden Globes, and more.

Riley Williams
January 14, 2025

Happy New Year, Risers! We have so much women’s news to catch up on (wait until you see the Further Reading section—it’s chock-full of interesting things).

Here’s what’s on the rise this week:

The 119th Congress was sworn in on January 3, and for the first time in over a decade, women’s representation decreased.

The number of women in the House and Senate has dropped to 150 members—28% of Congress—down from 153 at the start of the 118th Congress. The decline is driven by fewer Republican women, with just 40 serving compared to 110 Democrats.
Despite the decrease, some women are making congressional history: Emily Randall becomes the first LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress, Sarah McBride the first transgender woman, and Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks the first Black senators for Delaware and Maryland, respectively (and the first two Black women to serve in the Senate simultaneously).
Still, experts warn the gender imbalance threatens long-term progress if not addressed. Researcher Kelly Dittmar urged, “We cannot assume women will continually increase their representation… we have to focus on candidacies and recruitment.”

👉️ Pope Francis appointed the first woman to lead a major Vatican office, announcing Sister Simona Brambilla as prefect of the department responsible for all Catholic Church religious orders.

👉️ In Gambia, the debate over female genital cutting has sparked a new, unexpected focus on women’s sexual pleasure, boosting sex toy sales and encouraging men to learn about foreplay.

👉️ Honduran President Xiomara Castro took a stand against Donald Trump, threatening to expel U.S. troops from her country if the incoming administration goes through with mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

👉️ The Taliban said it would shut down any NGOs employing Afghan women, another escalation of its rollback of women’s rights.

👉️ When 14-year-old Avi Colvert, whose school was destroyed in the devastating Los Angeles fires, started a charity for teen girls affected by the disaster, she never expected it to go viral. But within 24 hours, her Instagram was shared by Mindy Kaling and Paris Hilton, and donations from brands like Skims poured in.

👉️ For the first time, women will be recognized among the 40 monuments and memorials on the National Mall. Lawmakers passed a bill to create a monument recognizing suffragists in the final hours of the 2024 congressional session.

👉️ Since 2019, school-age girls have experienced more significant declines in reading, math, and science test scores than boys. Experts are unsure of the cause, but some hypothesize that pandemic-related factors like teachers focusing more on behavioral issues in boys or girls taking on more household duties may be to blame.

👉️ Recent research highlights a gap between perception and reality in household chores. While 73% of men with partners say they do most or split chores equally, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows women still spend nearly twice as much time on house work.

👉️ The two highest-ranking women at Southwest Airlines, CFO Tammy Romo and Chief Administration Officer Linda Rutherford, will step down in April, the latest in a leadership shake-up prompted by activist investors.

👉️ Ann Altman, sister of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has filed a lawsuit accusing her brother of sexual abuse beginning when she was three years old. The tech billionaire denied the allegations.

👉️ Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned from The Washington Post after the paper refused to publish her satirical illustration of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Altman kneeling before Donald Trump.

👉️ In a three-hour interview with Joe Rogan, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested companies embrace more “masculine energy, claiming the corporate world has become “culturally neutered.”

👉️Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, starts the confirmation process today, and the spotlight could fall on past behaviors like sexual assault allegations and statements regarding women in the military. Elizabeth Warren, for one, has a lot of questions.

👉️ An appeals court upheld the ruling against Donald Trump for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, affirming a $5 million award to Carroll for the verdict.

Trump was also sentenced in his hush-money case. He received no formal punishment but will become the first president with a criminal conviction.

👉️ Amazon will pay a reported $40 million to license a documentary about Melania Trump, with the incoming first lady serving as an executive producer.

👉️ California Democrat Barbara Lee wrapped up her 20-year career in Congress. A trailblazer for Black women in politics, Lee was the only lawmaker to oppose the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

👉️ A new poll found that many Democrats don’t expect to see a woman in the White House anytime soon. 40% of respondents said it’s “not very likely” or “not at all likely” that a woman will be president in their lifetime.

👉️ Women are less likely than men to take prescribed medications after a stroke, according to a new study. Researchers believe caregiving responsibilities may prevent women from prioritizing their own health.

👉️ The Supreme Court will review South Carolina’s attempt to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, a move that could restrict low-income patients’ access to the organization.

👉️ Brain injuries like concussions are commonly associated with sports, but they are also a major side effect of domestic violence; experts estimate that 90% of physical abuse victims have suffered a concussion, and the majority were undiagnosed.

👉️ A study found that many women experience greater pain during medication abortions than they were prepared for.

👉️ Netflix will stream the next two FIFA Women’s World Cups, in 2027 and 2031, marking the first-ever broadcasting deal to separate the women’s tournament from the men’s.

👉️ A Belgian woman ran a marathon every day in 2024, with the leap year bringing her total to 366 marathons. She’s in the process of seeking a Guinness World Record for the feat.

👉️ The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis event of the year, kicked off over the weekend, featuring heavy-hitting women like two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and newcomer Jessie Paolini.

👉️ Comedian Nikki Glaser made history as the first woman to host the Golden Globes solo, receiving praise for her biting jokes and intensive preparation. The night was notable for its focus on women over 50, who undoubtedly stole the spotlight:

Demi Moore won her first major award for The Substance, a role she said culminated 30 years of overcoming stigma as a blockbuster actress.
Fernanda Torres delivered a major upset when she took home the prize for Best Actress in a Drama Motion Picture, becoming the first Brazilian actress to receive the award.
Jodie Foster and Jean Smart also won major categories.

👉️ Blake Lively filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, claiming the It Ends With Us co-star and director orchestrated a smear campaign to damage Lively’s reputation after she accused him of sexual misconduct on set.

Baldoni, who denies the claims and positions himself as an advocate for women, is suing The New York Times for defamation after its coverage of Lively’s allegations.

👉️ Beyoncé’s halftime show eclipsed the gameplay during Netflix’s first-ever televised NFL game, giving an epic performance featuring Post Malone, Shaboozey, and her daughter, Blue Ivy.

👉️ One of Yellowstone National Park’s most iconic wolves, nicknamed the “Queen of the Wolves,” has died. She gave birth to ten litters of pups during her 11-year lifespan and led the Junction Butte pack, which lives in the park’s northern areas.

👉️ Hoda Kotb had her last day on the Today Show, receiving an emotional sendoff after 17 years as co-anchor.