Women Find Their Voice in the Legislature.

• Author: Griffin, Kelley
• Position: Sine Die

Colorado was the first state to elect women to serve as legislators--three, in fact. The year was 1894, 275 years after the first legislature had convened in Jamestown, Va.

Since then, women in some statehouses have had to fight for restrooms of their own and adhere to dress codes in an institution where "suit and tie" had been sufficient guidance.

Perhaps the biggest question about women as lawmakers has been, what impact will they have on the laws? That first class in Colorado held some clues.

Rep. Clara Cressingham, who also served as secretary of the Republican Caucus--another first for a woman-died in 1906, at 42. An obituary in the Silverton Standard said, "Instead of wasting her energies to enter into sentimental legislation as had been anticipated by her male associates, she entered zealously into the promotion of practical affairs." Cressingham advocated for free schools and a state arbitration system and, with fellow female Reps. Carrie Holly and Frances Klock, promoted a home for "delinquent" girls. Klock chaired the Indian and Military Affairs Committee--another first--and Holly served on the Temperance and Public Health and the Education committees. In 1895, Holly was the first woman to propose a bill that became law--a measure raising the age of consent for women from 16 to 18 in rape cases.

Did You Know?

* Many statehouses were built with no restrooms for women. Others had facilities for male lawmakers to use, but women had to go to public restrooms sometimes outside the building, even missing votes because of it. And this isn't ancient history. The Illinois Senate installed a women's restroom in 1992; the House followed suit in 2011.

* A study by the National Women's Law Center found that in 2018 and 19. women legislators in states with more female representation introduced and passed more bills than those in states with smaller numbers of women. In fact, male legislators...