THE 30 PERCENT RULE. Women's E-News reported today that Chile is debating a quota law for women in congressional representation. The article noted that more than 50 countries around the world have laws requiring a certain percentage of women hold offices in congress or parliament. Opponents of the law in Chile say it will be tricky to implement because it may "threaten the political longevity of at least some male legislators." Clara Bingham pointed out that despite the new female leadership in Congress, women still fall far below quotas set in third-world countries like Rwanda and first-world countries like Sweden. Even the new constitution implemented in Iraq required quotas for women. This opens it up to discussion, especially considering our geographically based system of representation, how the United States could push for gender equality in government. -- Kay Steiger
