On the way to 51 percent.

• Position: Women Legislators of Maryland

To some, the issue was as simple as a women's bathroom. To others, the problem underscored a much larger issue - the male-dominated Maryland General Assembly didn't know what to make of the 11 women who served alongside them. Unlike their male counterparts, the women in the state legislature didn't have their own private bathroom in the early '70s. And, unlike their male counterparts, they swapped stories daily about overt sexism and paternalism.

Consider the story of state lawmaker Pauline Menes. Menes, now serving her 30th year in the Maryland legislature, asked the speaker to consider appointing more women to leadership positions and legislative committees.

Menes was laughed at, especially when she noted that a restroom for her female colleagues would also be most appreciated.

A few days later, the story goes, the speaker announced on the floor of the House that he had reconsidered Menes's request, and the legislator would, indeed, chair a new committee - the women's restroom committee. In honor of the new position, the speaker presented Menes with a fur-lined toilet seat.

"And of course, they all hooted," says Senator Jennie Forehand. "He did it as a joke, but it became a real symbol of why they needed a women's caucus."

Enough was enough. The 11 women of the Maryland General Assembly decided to take matters into their own hands. Led by Senator Rosalie Abrams, they presented a resolution in 1972 to form a women's caucus that would "push for the recognition of women and their abilities." The Women Legislators of Maryland - one of the first women's caucuses in the country - was formed.

Today, the organization boasts a full-time staff, a platform of priority issues and impressive numbers. All 54 of the Maryland legislature's female members belong to the group, which cuts across party lines. Together, they have spearheaded legislation strengthening health insurance coverage for women, secured more than half-a-billion dollars in state aid for poor women and tackled gender bias in the courtroom. "There have been a lot of issues on the table because we brought them there - a lot of issues would not have been addressed otherwise," says Forehand, the immediate past president of the Women Legislators of Maryland.

The group's sheer numbers helped secure a major victory in 1994 against attempts to weaken domestic violence legislation, says Forehand. The women's caucus broke all the rules of protocol - and won. When the House Judiciary Committee...