The Political Mainstreaming of Latino Congresswomen.

• In Event: Are Women Electable?

Abstract

The US electorate is slightly composed of more women than men. Women participate more in each stage of the elections, they have higher registration and turnout rates than men. However, they are still underrepresented in the US Congress. In 2018, the 116th Congress reached record number of elected female representatives, 106 of them are serving in the House and 25 in the Senate. In addition to the increment of women in Congress, the 116th Congress also brought a more diverse cluster of female representatives. Many of them breaking new grounds through their ethnicity, race or religious minority. Within this group of representatives from visible minorities, fifteen Latinas are serving in the US Congress.

This research looks at the legislative performance of the Latina representatives in Congress. A common pattern of political mainstreaming highlights. Mainstreaming for minorities implies the transit from the political margins to the political mainstream. Political mainstreaming is a process of convergence of minorities with the range of normative behaviors within the mainstream to create a composite culture that becomes incorporated. In other words, mainstreaming is related with forging representations that resonate with the values and norms of the dominant political elites to gain a voice. It includes following the political rules, pursuing non-contentious methods, and trying to fit in the local polity.

The methodological design consist of an analysis of their public discourse, an evaluation of their sponsored bills, and the examination of roll call voting patterns of Latino Congresswomen. All this in order to explain if the political mainstreaming of Latino Congresswomen is only a strategy in support of the political agenda of their constituents, or, in the other hand, their legislative behavior erodes their platform by conceding on the more contentious political issues.

Author

• Estefania Cruz Lera, National University Autonomous of Mexico