Women in Politics 2024: Progress, Setbacks, and the Road Ahead | November 2024 Update

There's work to do, but I think this will make you feel better. At least motivated.

History isn't always a straight line toward progress. Sometimes it's two steps forward, fifty years back. But I’m here to tell you that this election was not all bad news—keep reading! I’ve also been obsessed with the horrific situation for women in Iran and Afghanistan, a TV show, and, well, my own forthcoming book. All of which I share as—I hope— powerful reminders of why our fight matters more than ever. Because now is not the time to look away.

The news that Kamala Harris won't be our next president came as an excruciating blow. As the first Black woman and first Asian American to secure a major party nomination, and as 2024’s only pro-women’s rights candidate, her loss is shared by all. Because the ramifications of this election will reverberate far beyond “just” women. The adverse impact of the current Republican agenda will cut across the economic spectrum and party lines. And it will be a travesty. There’s no soft-peddling that. But in this space I’m concentrating on women.

Having written extensively about how bad this regressive legislation is for women and the world at large, now that we’re here, I want to take a moment—just a moment—to examine how we got here. And then move forward. I refuse to give in to the feeling that I’m a walking bruise.

There are a lot of theories out there dissecting what happened—the infantilizing ad campaign that told us how you vote can be your secret, the fact that she didn’t have a long enough ramp to run, and the fact that—no matter what—LOADS of people will never vote for a woman.

I think the loss boils down to this—anger (which is a mask for fear) is a bigger motivator than joy.  

This anger thing tracks. In data I just saw this morning, a whopping 72 percent of people who voted for Donald Trump are “angry” about the way things are going in this country. Most angry people are not even aware of the fears they are reacting to, I know because when I got clean at 19, I was shocked to discover that my anger was really my insecurities. I wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for the need to not kill myself with booze.

That anger/fear—in my opinion—is the real red mirage. The false vision created by Donald Trump. No ONE is eating dogs and cats, or performing “transgender operations without parental consent” or not getting hurricane relief because FEMA is broke since they gave all the money to immigrants. That’s not even how government budgets work.

Based on that campaign, we can attest that most people are more afraid of losing what they have than in leaping toward the unchartered, which in this case is a female president. 

See in this the chance to not be defeated, but to be the one to make a difference by raising up your voice. Taking a risk in your own life, because the opportunity is there. This applies to all of life—take that class, ask that person out, say how you really feel. Because that’s the only way things will change. I don’t have to look any further than the 2024 election to see that this is true.

Silver Linings: Historic Wins Reshape Congress

These remarkable victories showcase a number of historic firsts to prove we're still moving forward:

• Angela Alsobrooks: Maryland's first Black female Senator

• Lisa Blunt Rochester: Delaware's first female and first Black Senator

• Emily Randall: Washington's first LGBTQ representative and first LGBTQ Latina in Congress

• Yassamin Ansari: Arizona's first Iranian American congresswoman

• Julie Johnson: became the first out LGBTQ person to represent Texas  

• Sarah McBride: America's first openly transgender member of Congress

These wins aren't just symbolic—they're transformative. You cannot help but feel good about this expanded representation of the actual people who live in this country. As well as to see the work still to do.

To put this information in perspective, since the senate began in 1789, in just the senate, a total of two-thousand and four people have served. Of those two thousand and four, only sixty have been women. But of those sixty, twenty-five are currently serving. 

The Long Arc of Progress: From Woodhull to Harris

Researching that data made me feel so much better, I thought I’d crunch some numbers on the presidency. The first woman to make a bid was the suffragist Victoria Woodhull, who ran in 1872, which was 50 years before women even had the right to vote. 

It was another hundred years before, in 1972, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman to run.

But it wasn’t until 2016, a full two-hundred and forty years since our democracy began that Hillary Clinton became the first woman to secure her party’s nomination make a serious run at the presidency.

And finally, back to Kamala Harris who, only eight years later, 2024, became the first Black woman to get a nomination and become the biggest fundraiser of all time. 

It took two-hundred and forty years for a woman to be a viable presidential contender, but only eight to rise again. 

NONE of these women would be included here if they weren’t willing to take a risk, to leap toward the unchartered. The unknown. But they did.

It’s said that history repeats itself. Considering this list, I say we have a lot of good things to repeat too, so, buckle up out there. The momentum is there and we have only just begun.

Global Warning Signs: Women's Rights Under Attack

Though I’m not generally a fan of comparing how I’m doing to how I perceive someone else is doing, there is no way to miss how grim the situation is for women in other parts of the world. And of course I’m writing this because I don’t think it should be missed.

Iran's Escalating War on Women

A female student was detained after she stripped to her underwear while on her university campus in response to criticism that she was not adhering to proper dress code. It wasn’t the first time she’d been harassed.

In case you’re not familiar, this national dress code requires women cover all their skin and hair, except for the face and hands. Earlier this year, the code was updated through something called the “noor light campaign,” which mandated that women must also conceal the shape of their bodies. 

Here’s something else you should know. The people who “enforce” this policy are a volunteer paramilitary group. 

Was she showing her hair? The footage that’s surfaced shows a voluminous black garment—the classic chador—beside her while she talks to a “volunteer.” Further footage that shows how later, still in those undies, a group of men surrounded her, bundled her into a car, and drove away.

Government sources claim that the woman was “calmly talked” to about flouting the dress code. Weirder still, she probably knew these volunteer enforcers.

Why do I think that? Because I’ve experienced living in a country with morality police. This passage from my first memoir—American Lady Creature, about my experiences living in Qatar—which describes my first brush with morality police.

In this scene I’m in my office at Carnegie Mellon University, and one of the students comes rushing, frantic, hoping to find her shayla (the headscarf worn in addition to the big black robe to get that full coverage look; it’s different from a burka) before she gets caught without it. In Qatar at the time, it was up to your eldest male relative whether you had to wear one or not. 

“You’re always losing that thing, I know you hate it,” I said. “Why do you wear it at all?” 

“Yeah, I could stop wearing my abaya and shayla, but I’d be disowned,” she said. “I’d have no support from my family, nowhere to live, but still I’d be stuck in this country. So, yeah. That’s my choice.”

Since the initial detention, the Iranian woman has been moved to an unknown location. Iran’s official response has been to state that the woman in question is suffering from mental health issues.

Historically, this does not bode well.

When they start calling you you mentally ill, you’re joining a long list of women like, the Greek mathematician  [huh PAT eeya] Hypatia, one of the first female mathematicians, who was brutally murdered by a Christian mob due to her intellectual prowess and pagan beliefs; Joan of Arc, who was burned alive for wearing men's clothing as it was considered against God's natural order; and  Princess Di, who dared to leave the world’s most dysfunctional family and was characterized as mentally unstable for years before her tragic death which came about as a result of frenzied media coverage.

Here’s a visual representation of what that looks like.

I hope that young woman surfaces.

The Taliban in Afghanistan

As I've said, the situation in Afghanistan is grim. Since taking control of the government three years ago, the Taliban has:

• Banned education for women and girls

• Barred women from working outside the home

• Closed beauty salons

• Restricted access to public spaces

• Required male chaperones for women leaving home

But that wasn’t enough.

They have now issued a ban on women’s voices in public. Their VOICES. Speaking.

Today in Afghanistan, it is now against the law for women to speak in public anywhere for any reason. According to a government spokesperson, the measure is an effort to combat vice and promote virtue.

Because if women are talking it can only mean… ?

In a devastating interview, the BBC talked to one young woman who said “If we can’t speak, why even live? We’re like dead bodies moving around.”  

This is why we don’t look away. We don’t let bullies get away with using violent imagery to describe women, or to dismiss women altogether. 

Now I want to share some book news

I know, I’m going out of order. The reason is because my books are in direct response to watching Brett Kavanaugh bro his way on to the Supreme Court. I wanted to spend time in a world where women were the ones getting away with murder. I wanted to spend time in a world, where women look great, not be in competition, and instead bond, and in so doing help  each other become their most authentic selves.

Based on that feeling and a bunch of weird, true stories I’d learned about Florida, I came up with Florida Girls, my book that’s out now. 

In that book, the Florida girls travel to Las Vegas  as part of their war bond tour. And while researching what was going on in that city at that time, I knew that's where they had to go next. And so Vegas girls was born.

It’s 1945 Las Vegas. A time the mob was really sinking its claws into the architecture of that city, and no one was there to stop them. Until the Vegas girls came along—an unlikely crew of showgirls including a former sex worker, a Hollywood starlet, and a relentless reporter.

As federal agents circle, rival gangs plot, and mafia forces grow more powerful by the day, our hero Thelma Miles must decide if she’s willing to bet everything on one last, desperate play.

Coming January 3, 2025. If you wanna spend time in that kind of world too, preorders are available now.

Looking Ahead: Your Call to Action

This mixed bag of progress and setbacks reminds us why spaces like "Ill-Behaved Women" matter. We need to document these struggles, celebrate our victories, and keep pushing forward. Whether it's in Congress, on the streets of Tehran, or in your local community, every act of resistance counts.

History shows us that progress isn't guaranteed—it's earned through persistent effort and unwavering determination. So what can you do?

1. Stay informed about women's rights issues globally

2. Support female candidates at all levels of government

3. Amplify women's voices in your community

4. Register to vote and encourage others to do the same

5. Share stories of women making history

Remember: It took 240 years for a woman to become a major party presidential nominee, but only 8 years for another to break fundraising records. Progress is possible—and with your help, inevitable.

Stay bold, stay curious, and never apologize for your ambitions.