ABSTRACT
There are numerous examples of women attaining positions of power and infl uence in the legislative process over the last generation. Most notable among them is the ascent of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi to the position of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. Following massive Democratic victories in the 2008 elections that strengthened the party’s majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker Pelosi announced one of her top legislative priorities: to expedite passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (Peters and Rosenthal 2010). This legislation overturned a Supreme Court decision 1 limiting the ability of victims of pay discrimination from fi ling claims against their employers (Sorok 2010). Enacting this law was a top priority of women’s groups and leading female members of Congress. With her ability to control the agenda of the legislative process, Pelosi helped shepherd this legislation swiftly through the House. After receiving fi nal passage in the U.S. Senate, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became the fi rst major piece of legislation signed by President Barack Obama during his fi rst term.
