表示我们的妇女在政治上取得进展
2016年11月8日，前国务卿希拉里·克林顿竞选美国总统。威廉玛丽大学政府与性别、性与女性研究助理教授克莱尔·麦金尼（Claire McKinney）说，虽然她没有当选，但这次竞选是另一种形式的胜利。这是一个迹象，表明妇女在各级政治中发挥着越来越大的作用。
“According to Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics, as of 2016, 19.6 percent of the U.S. Congress are women and 24 percent of statewide offices were held by women,” said McKinney. “So there has clearly been an increase in representation.”
{{youtube:medium|_ZV8nfP6t4g,McKinney discusses what the feminist political theory represents to politics in the United States.}}
W&M News recently sat down to talk with McKinney about women in politics. The professors, whose research primarily focuses on reproductive politics in the United States, believes Clinton’s run at the presidency was part of a broader trend of women wanting to represent their communities in legislative roles.
Even with that growth, the number of women in government nationwide is still lower than men, McKinney noted.
“I am hopeful that after the Women’s March on Washington, something that is directly attributable to Clinton’s loss, will motivate some women to seek higher office,” she said. “More opportunities should be made for women to develop other political competencies that can set them up to feel confident and competent in running for office."
麦金尼说，妇女长期以来一直参与美国政治，了解她们的作用对于了解20世纪的美国政治，包括福利国家及其解体，非常重要。
“Women were instrumental actors in setting the agenda, in pushing for public recognition of the need for sex education, contraceptives, abortion, welfare, informed consent laws, responses to domestic violence and sexual harassment,” she said. “Birth control might still be banned in many states without women in politics. And without women’s agitation, the right to vote, the right to education and the ability for women to work would all not exist.”
{{youtube:medium|M9C_nPjPrvI, McKinney discusses the contributions made by women regarding 20th century social movements in the United States.}}
虽然如今备受瞩目的女性政治家可以作为榜样，但麦金尼表示，社会应该更加积极主动地帮助女性实现这些目标。
“I think the media has an obligation as well, in terms of diversifying what we see as legitimate women in power," she said. “这包括对有色人种女性、LGBTQ女性和社会经济机会较少的女性的更积极的表现。”
