Chuck Grassley suggests to women not to join the Judiciary Committee because it's "a lot of work"

It is no secret that women are not equally represented in the US Senate. But the impact of a male-dominated Congress appeared last week when Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee hired a prosecutor to interrogate Brett Kavanaugh's accuser rather than send him off. 11 men interview Christine Blasey Ford about allegations of sexual assault. On Friday, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley suggested that women senators refuse to sit on the Judiciary Committee because it is too difficult.

"It's a lot of work – maybe they do not want to do it," Grassley said. The Wall Street Journal. "My 33-year-old chef de cabinet told me that we had tried to recruit women and that we could not do the job."

Grassley quickly tried to go back, telling reporters on Friday that he also had a hard time getting men to the committee because "it's a lot of work, whether you're a man or a woman". He added, "On average, a woman in the United States Senate, whether on the bench or on another committee, probably works more than the average man."

Senators Dianne Feinstein (California) and Carol Moseley Braun (Illinois) were the first women to sit on the Judiciary Committee in 1993, and Feinstein is now the senior member of the minority party.

When Anita Hill testified before the Judicial Committee that Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court candidate at the time, had sexually harassed her in 1991 (which he denied), she was questioned by all male senators. Four women are now joining their ranks, but they are all Democrats. That's why GOP members turned to a prosecutor to question Ford in September. While Rachel Mitchell's presence highlighted the lack of women's representation in the Senate, Grassley's comment seemed to blame a political system that disadvantages women over women themselves.

In total, 23 women sit in the US Senate. Of these 23, 17 are Democrats and six Republicans, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. Only four are women of color.

Studies show that voters tend to stereotype male candidates as being more informed, trustworthy and convincing, while female candidates are judged more severely by their appearance. Although a record number of women run for election this year, these barriers have not disappeared.

Despite his suggestion, Grassley predicted that the Senate Judiciary Committee will have more women members next year. In total, 22 women have qualified for general elections in the Senate this year, and Politico predicts that the number of women senators will increase by at least four by November.

Grassley also commented on the number of women in the Supreme Court seat on Friday, saying two female judges are not enough. "Probably five would be about right," he told reporters Friday, The newspaper. Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, however, said that the country's highest court would not have enough female judges before the nine board members were all women.

Whether it is within SCOTUS or the Judiciary Committee of the Senate or not, it is "a lot of work", political women occupy positions of power also this year. Just when "the year of the woman" had prompted Feinstein and Braun to stand for election, women frustrated by the actions of politicians were once again filling the country's mid-term polls.