- December 14, 2025
This year, women made up only 21% of the U.S. Senate and 19.3% of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Center for American Women and Politics, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
Those numbers don't show the whole picture, but they do give an idea of what many people are working to change. Who are the women who will take on new leadership roles?
There will always be backlash for a person, regardless of race, sex or political party, who is brave enough to become a leader. But if women, specifically local women, can move beyond that, they can add a great deal of insight to the community.
Members of a Voluia County group recently held two different sessions to encourage women to become more civically engaged in the region where they live. During the two sessions, one in New Smyrna Beach and a second in Ormond Beach, there was discussion about running for office, local issues and public policy.
According to Linda Mojer, who spoke about VOCOL, around 20 individuals showed up for the session in New Smyrna. The next evening in Ormond Beach almost every seat in the auditorium where the event was held was empty. So where were all the local women that evening?
That one evening doesn't reflect the rest of the county. There have been and there are women interested in leadership roles in the community. Today and in the future, more women are needed to take over those roles. It's not easy, but it needs to be done.
Undoubtedly, there are many smart, courageous and strong women who could make their community a better place. Maybe the key to inspiring these future leaders is to stop focusing on the obstacles and instead turn that concern into focus and energy that will empower the next generation.
Let me rephrase my previous question.
Where will local women be in the next day, the next few months, in the following years? Will they be content with how their city, their state, their country is run? Or will they work to make a positive change, no matter how large or small it may seem?
