Representation in Congress (ANSWERED)

QUESTION

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 11, 12
Lesson
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources in addition to the textbook.

Instructions

Research the proportion of women, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and openly gay or lesbian members of Congress.

Reflect on what these patterns say about the nature of representation.
Why do some groups tend to be underrepresented in Congress?
Why do you see a trend in which more women and minorities are being represented?
Do you think the underrepresentation of women and minorities affect Congress’s business?
How might we as a people address this situation and strive towards equal representation? Make sure to cite sources used.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 1.5-2 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources in addition to textbook if cited)

ANSWER

Minority Groups Representation in Congress

The United States is endowed with people from different backgrounds regarding skin color, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, and political views, among others. Minority groups have long been underrepresented in politics, and Congress paints a clear picture of the national trends. Barack Obama made history by becoming the first Black US president. Twelve years later, Kamala Harris became the first Black woman to serve as the vice president in the country. Minority groups have, in recent years, made steps in political footholds (Brown & Atske, 2021). The increasing number of minority groups represented in Congress has several implications for the socioeconomic and political direction of the country.

The 117^th Congress has the highest percentage of women representation in the United States history. Twenty-seven percent of the seats in Congress are held by women, which is a 50% increase from a decade ago. The percentage is still way below the US population (Blazina & Desilver, 2021). A record number of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGTBQ) people contested in the 2020 elections. The percentage of the openly LGTBQ people who won was more than ever. The US is the 10^th country in the world to have the highest number of openly LGTBQ people in politics (Flores et al., 2020). The trends are encouraging, but more steps should be taken to increase the underrepresented groups in Congress.

Empowering minority citizens to understand that they have the power to make political decisions would help them to make reasonable judgments when choosing to run for political choices and who to vote for. Regardless of their background, all citizens must understand the importance of descriptive representation. Descriptive representation is a situation in which all citizens and residents in the country are proportionally represented in politics, including Congress, so that all of their concerns are heard. Descriptive representation has policy benefits for all citizens and residents. For instance, empowering women to participate in politics actively helps them voice their concerns, make them heard, and achieve their objectives.

Diversity in representation in Congress should be a matter of concern to the public as it proves political legitimacy and increases reforms in proposals that prioritize equal and fair representation. Descriptive representation involves having a more significant number of members representing minority groups, while substantive representation involves having roll-cast votes that favor minority groups. High numbers of African American legislative members would strengthen the prospects of Republicans in districts where most African Americans come from. As such, Congress would have fewer total members that support such prospects even with lesser minority representation. Empowerment theory explains the positive effects that minority citizens would achieve through descriptive representation (Karp & Banducci, 2019).

In sum, empowering minority groups is the best approach to ensuring that Congress has descriptive representation. Descriptive and substantive representation gives Congress political legitimacy. The duty of Congress is to ensure that the voices of all citizens are heard and that their interests and rights are heard. The representation of minority groups has steadily been increasing in American history. More must be done to ensure that representation in Congress matches the national image of the American people’s different backgrounds regarding skin color, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, and political views, among others.

References

Blazina, C., & Desilver, D. (2021, January 22). A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/15/a-record-number-of-women-are-serving-in-the-117th-congress/

Brown, A., & Atske, S. (2021, January 27). Black Americans have made gains in US political leadership, but gaps remain. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/22/black-americans-have-made-gains-in-u-s-political-leadership-but-gaps-remain/

Flores, A., Gossett, C., Magni, G., & Reynolds, A. (2020, November 30). The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/30/11-lgbtq-legislators-will-take-their-seats-next-congress-largest-most-diverse-group-ever/

Karp, J. A., & Banducci, S. (2019). Should Congress Look Like America? Explaining Preferences About Descriptive Representation. Annual Conference of the American Political Science Association.