Advice from women in Congress

“Look around—a roomful of men in navy blue suits! Women in politics hold a secret advantage over men: they can grab the attention of everyone around them by wearing a colorful outfit. I haven’t owned a blue suit since.” Representative Kay Granger (R-TX)

Many women in politics rely on “power dressing,” maintain a trustworthy community of family and friends and work hard to control their own image to advance their professional goals.

Many women note that when women surround themselves with supportive colleagues, they are more likely to take on bigger challenges and, consequently, more likely to succeed.

“A man is perceived to have natural strength that women are not automatically perceived to have, so I wanted to control my life. I didn’t want well-meaning people saying, ‘Oh, she has breast cancer, you shouldn’t ask her to do that.’ In the campaign I wanted to be the judge of how much I was comfortable doing and not have everyone else try and tell me how much I could do.”

“A woman’s natural instinct to hesitate and consider all of the ramifications before entering into a campaign may prevent her from getting a head start on a male opponent who may not have the same reservations.”

“I’m lucky…a lot of women can’t bring their kids to work. I prioritize more and use my time more wisely, because I don’t have a lot of it to waste.”

It is the skill set of forethought and multitasking that gives women an upper hand when it comes to politics.

Women are doing the work to get men elected. We need to get ourselves elected.

Female lawmakers agree that they should not only celebrate but leverage their differences from men to find success.

“Little lady, what qualifies you to run for the U.S. House of Representatives? Well, you know what? I’ve been the three-year old choir director, the room mother, the room-mother chairman, and the Girl Scout cookie mom, and if you can handle those jobs, you can handle the U.S. House of Representatives.” Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)