(From Pew)
The new, 113th Congress includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as “none,” continuing a gradual increase in religious diversity that mirrors trends in the country as a whole. While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago, when nearly three-quarters of the members belonged to Protestant denominations.
Catholics have seen the biggest gains among the 533 members who are scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 3.1Catholics picked up seven seats, for a total of 163, raising their share to just over 30%. Protestants and Jews experienced the biggest declines in numerical terms. Jews now hold 33 seats (6%), six fewer than in the 112th Congress, where Jews held 39 seats (7%). Protestants lost eight seats, though they continue to occupy about the same proportion of seats (56%) as in the 112th Congress (57%).
Perhaps the greatest disparity, however, is between the percentage of U.S. adults and the percentage of members of Congress who do not identify with any particular religion. About one-in-five U.S. adults describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – a group sometimes collectively called the “nones.”But only one member of the new Congress, Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), is religiously unaffiliated, according to information gathered by CQ Roll Call. Sinema is the first member of Congress to publicly describe her religion as “none,” though 10 other members of the 113th Congress (about 2%) do not specify a religious affiliation, up from six members (about 1%) of the previous Congress.2This is about the same as the percentage of U.S. adults in Pew Research Center surveys who say that they don’t know, or refuse to specify, their faith (about 2%).
(From NBC) A record-breaking 20 women will serve in the Senate—and, the Granite State is once again “First in the Nation.” New Hampshire is becoming the first state in history to send an all-female delegation to Congress.
5 comments:
I was watching the House vote on the Speaker and every time a name was called it would show the representative. Its easy to say that majority of Republicans were the "White male" and that the Democrats are the ones really making it diverse. I also found it funny how the voting session was that serious and representatives were making jokes when they were called on, they had their children next to them, and a lot of them looked bored out of their mind. It was actually a really close race between Pelosi and Boehner because a few Conservatives didnt even vote for Boehner cause they didnt like how he handled the Fiscal Cliff.
I think the numbers of the congress are representative in many ways of their political parties. As Rohan said, the majority of the republicans are white males and the democrats tend to hold a larger ethnic diversity. This points towards the stagnant and somewhat stale platform of the republicans as well, as they tend to represent good ol amurrica, home of the rich and white. On the other hand, the democrat's population represents its greater diversity and push towards a more equal nation.
agree completely with Jordan. When I think of the Republican party and the Democratic party, I think of a bunch of stuck up, proper, and old white males versus a diverse group of green politicians. While I know that most of the Democrats are not new to the field of politics but they generally tend to represent a much more diverse group. I am also glad to hear that this session of congress has the biggest population of women ever. While I myself am not going into politics its nice to know that many young women are taking the initiative to pursue a career in a field where they can change things.
Its crazy to reflect how only 50 years ago, today's congress would not have existed.Having a growing number of women, minorities, and LGBT members highlights the major changes our nation has made in such a short period of time. Although that is incredible, it also highlights the growing rift between the political parties. What its almost become now is: Rich/uneducated white males vs. everyone else, and as the power slowly shifts, it will be interesting to see where our country can go.
The tide is obviously shifting, as Dale pointed out. It is great to that the Democratic side has a much more diverse group. At the same time, I feel that the rift that is currently developing will only become more apparent as we see that both political parties have a greater variance in terms of the type of people that are found within each side.
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