ST. PAUL, Minn. — Votes are still being counted, but we already know the number of women elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last week is a record high. Nonetheless, when they take office in January, they'll represent only one-quarter of the 435 House members.
Louisiana State University professor Nichole Bauer has studied women's efforts to achieve parity in politics. She said at least 123 women will serve in the 116th Congress, boosting the share of female lawmakers from 19 percent to just over 22 percent.
But Bauer also noted more than half the women running in the primaries didn't win, which suggests continued mobilization is critical.
"Whether that will sustain in 2020 depends on how many resources the political parties are willing to put into backing female candidates at the local level, at the state level and at the House level,” Bauer said.
She says trends continue to show women only win elections if voters consider them "significantly better candidates" than the men they're running against.
Historic milestones for women in the midterms included Minnesota's first-ever Muslim congresswoman, the first two Native American congresswomen, Massachusetts' and Connecticut's first black congresswomen, and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Many said they ran for office this year to resist the politics of President Donald Trump. And Bauer said the real standouts were women of color.
"Women did not increase their representation in Congress in 2016,” she said. “And I think that was a real moment where women realized that their voices are not going to be heard in legislative institutions unless they are in those legislative institutions."
While there were increases in the numbers of women and minorities in Congress, Bauer added the differences in party affiliation are significant. Of the 123 women headed to Congress, only about 6 percent are from the Republican party.
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State Rep. Susie Lee - D-Las Vegas - said she wants women in Nevada and across the country to wake up, as she contends far-right extremists are wanting to restrict in-vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology.
Lee joined her Democratic colleagues in calling for the passage of the Access to Family Building Act, which would establish a legal right to IVF and other services - overriding the state's effort to limit or ban access as was achieved in Alabama.
As someone who used IVF to have her own family, Lee said she feels like it is an important piece of legislation.
"I feel that any Republican who says we support IVF should be signing on to that," said Lee. "Instead, what we've seen are these non-binding resolutions. Well, if you really believe that women should have a right and families should have a right to pursue and build a family, then sign onto the bill."
Lee said only one House Republican has signed on to support the Access to Family Building Act.
In the Silver State, a coalition of reproductive rights groups have launched an effort to place an amendment on the November ballot to safeguard abortion rights in the Nevada constitution.
Organizers say they'll also aim to use frustration over the recent Alabama ruling to garner support for their ballot measure.
Alexa Solis is deputy director for the nonpartisan and nonprofit organization called Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada.
She said while it is too early to say what the Alabama decision means for IVF as a whole, she says we live in a world where people travel to states like Nevada where abortion is legal.
"So if there were more rulings or legislation or other actions that would take us in the direction of this Alabama decision," said Solis, "you could see a world in which people are once again forced to travel for care that they should be able to get in their home state."
According to a recent CBS News-YouGov poll, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe IVF should be legal.
The poll was conducted following Alabama's court ruling which ruled that frozen embryos should be considered people.
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Nearly 80% of California women age 40 and older say they are highly motivated to vote, according to a new survey from AARP.
Researchers for the new "She's the Difference" California survey polled 1,600 women and found many are highly concerned about political divisions.
Kate Bridges, senior research adviser for AARP, said older women are an influential voting bloc.
"Not only are they sizable in number, but they consistently vote," Bridges pointed out. "In the 2022 election, they cast a third of the ballots, while only making up about a quarter of the full electorate."
Survey respondents' top issues, in order, are threats to democracy, voting rights, jobs, education, political division, and inflation. Also of high importance are gun violence, election security, crime, housing costs, abortion, racism, immigration and climate change.
Lucia Del Puppo, senior vice president of Los Angeles-based FM3 Research, reported almost half of women said they are less financially secure than they expected to be at this age and they want elected officials to focus on protecting Medicare and lowering the cost of living.
"The things that were most helpful were lowering the cost of food, protecting Social Security, lowering the cost of utilities, decreasing taxes, and lowering the cost of health care."
The survey found if the election were held now, 53% of respondents would favor Democrats, 29% prefer Republicans, 4% would go with another party and 13% are undecided. Among those survey, 92% said a candidate's values are the most important criteria when deciding who gets their vote.
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Last week, Gov. Katie Hobbs called on the state Legislature to pass a law to guarantee women the right to contraception.
Making birth control a right is a top priority for Hobbs but could prove to be difficult for the Democratic governor to sign into law as she faces opposition from the conservative majority in the legislature. In addition, every legislative committee chair is a Republican and they are the ones who decide which bills will get heard.
Hobbs argued the Right to Contraception Act is something supported by most Arizonans and is not a partisan issue.
"When I talk to Arizonans about the threats to women's rights, the number one concern is 'what is next?'," Hobbs recounted. "They've seen the right to abortions stripped away, they've seen attacks on IVF in our state and others and they're scared contraception is the next thing on the chopping block."
Both the Senate and House versions of the act have yet to receive a hearing. Arizona Republican lawmakers argued access to contraceptives is not under attack. But Democratic lawmakers around the country are turning to reproductive health care to criticize Republican-backed policies and are betting on widespread support for contraception and abortion to translate as a win at the ballot box in November.
Sen. Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson, one of the bill's sponsors, said she was able to have her family when she was ready, after pursuing her education and professional career, thanks to contraception. Her message to Arizonans is the ability for future generations to make their own health care decisions is in jeopardy.
"Our message is clear: We will not back down in defending every Arizonan's right to choose what is best for their own family," Sundareshan asserted. "Democrats have always been at the forefront of defending your reproductive rights and the fight for accessible contraception is no exception."
Sundareshan described her Republican colleagues' lack of action on the measure as "cowardly." At least half of Democratic voters said they think the elections will have a "major impact" on access to contraception, whereas three in 10 or fewer Republican voters say the same, according to KFF.
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