representation

• ways women are underrepresented in the usa - sexism

  Many women are reluctant to put themselves forward as

  candidates because they often face sexism. The world’s media often focuses on their looks and fashion rather than ideas and experience which could put someone off from becoming involved at all. As a result, women may not get involved in politics because of the way they are treated. For example, some women see that people who have made sexist and misogynistic comments like Donald Trump are elected so may feel voters will not respect them.
• ways women are underrepresented in the usa - caring responsibilities

  One reason why women are underrepresented in politics is

  due to having caring responsibilities. This is because women are often seen as carers and take career breaks to have children. However, a political career can take years to develop meaning women rarely rise to high profile jobs like politicians. This may lead to other females

  being less likely to stand as candidates. For example, in Congress, only 27% are female even though females make up 51% of the population.
• ways women are underrepresented in the usa - lack of role models

  Another reason why women are underrepresented in politics is due to a lack of role models. The UK, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand and Germany have all had women as their top leaders. However, there has never been a female President in the US. Therefore it can then be really off putting for women if they look at politics as a place that is not very friendly or welcoming to women. For example, Hilary Clinton was the first female Democratic candidate for the 2016 Presidential election, but she did not win.
• ways ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the usa - racism

  One reason why ethnic minorities are underrepresented is because

  of racism and discrimination. This is because fewer people may vote for someone from an ethnic group as they may be racist against immigrants or their culture or language (like Spanish) even though over 40% of the US is non-white. They may feel these groups are unlikely to represent their views so choose not to vote for them. This can lead to a lack of role models. For example, there has only ever been one non-White president.
• ways ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the usa - immigration status

  Another reason why ethnic minorities are underrepresented may

  be their immigration This is because illegal immigrants cannot vote for fear of deportation despite making up a significant part of the population. Therefore, illegal immigrants have no political voice and will then continue to be excluded unless an amnesty is given to them, showing that the USA does not fully represent the views of the people. For example, there are approx. 10 million illegal immigrants in the

  USA, who are unable to vote.
• ways ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the usa - language barriers

  Another reason why ethnic minorities are underrepresented may

  be because of language barriers. This is because many ethnic minorities may not speak English as their first language which could be a disadvantage as they would have to have a good understanding of English to run or to even register to vote. For example, reports show that 60 million people do not speak English at home, with many speaking Spanish as their first language.