With Kathy Hochul officially taking the reins as New York’s governor, a historic number of women are currently leading U.S. states – a push towards equality and representation that could continue into next year’s midterm elections.
There are now nine women serving as governor in the U.S. That ties a record that was set in 2004 and matched in 2007 and 2019, but it’s still well shy of gender proportionality.
Taking over on short notice for a scandal-plagued predecessor in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Hochul began her tenure Tuesday with more than enough challenges for a new administration. She also began with an historic opportunity: Hochul is the first woman to hold one of the most prominent governorships in the U.S.
“New York as a whole has been a tough place for women to break into the highest levels, because there is very much a tight set of powerful gatekeepers,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
“And unfortunately – even in 2021 – women are still seen, in effect, as newcomers,” she said.