I was supposed to write an article about women in politics, but when I looked into it I realized “Wait, what women in politics?!” Looking at our government, there are hardly any there. What is going on America? True, women have always been under represented in politics, yet, this election held new hope; the prospect of the glass ceiling being broken by having a woman as president as well as the possibility of having more female politicians elected into government. However, turns out this election was a huge blow to women; our new government is now 80 percent males.

America is severely behind. The U.S. is ranked at 94th in the world for percentage of females represented in parliament. Women’s leadership in politics has been rising all over the world, everywhere except America apparently. According to Huffington Post, there are currently 27 female world leaders in office and many countries have had women leaders throughout the past. Again, all except America.

I think that many Americans believe we are the most advanced nation, and that can certainly be debated, but on the subject of gender equality and politics, we are miles behind. Half of Americans are female, yet we are not properly represented. It’s unfair, disheartening, and infuriating. Our government continues to represent and promote the patriarchal system which our country has harbored for years. Hello, this is 2016, not the early 1800s. We know that all men and women are created equal. Yet women are still battling for basic respect and representation in our country. The results of this election makes that clearer than ever.

However, even in dark times there is a silver lining. While America didn’t gain a woman president and men are still the reining majority in our government, the election did result in a few victories for women and equality. Minnesota elected Ilhan Omar, who will be the first Somali American woman to be elected for congress. Kate Brown, newly elected governor of Oregon, has become the first openly LGBT+ person elected as governor. Kamala Harris will be the first black representative for California in the senate as well as the second black woman ever elected in the chamber. Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina ever to be elected to the senate. Pramila Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman elected to Congress. Tammy Duckworth was elected senator for Illinois and is a disabled veteran who lost both of her legs in Iraq.

While we are still recovering from the disheartening results of this election, we need celebrate these women and their victories on gaining office. They are the new hope for the future. They are the ones who will help pave the way for women politicians. My hope is that the representation of females in our government will rise. This election has gone and past, there is nothing more we can do except look to the future and continue to advocate for equal representation of male and female political leaders. I do hope that I live to see the day when a woman is elected president of the United States.