It’s a girl! Senator Tammy Duckworth D-Ill., became the first US Senator to give birth while holding a senate position. Duckworth, 50, had her first daughter at age 47 while she was part of the House of Representatives. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Duckworth is one of 10 women in the history of US Congress to give birth while in office, with all the other births belonging to women serving in the House rather than the Senate.
Senator Duckworth tweeted “Bryan, Abigail and I couldn’t be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family and we’re deeply honored that our good friend Senator Akaka was able to bless her name for us—his help in naming both of our daughters means he will always be with us. Pearl Bowlsbey Johnson was Bryan’s great Aunt, an Army Officer and a nurse who served during the Second World War. He spent many summer months with her while growing up, we feel her presence still and are grateful for her service to our nation during the most challenging of times. We’re also so grateful for the love and support of our friends and family, as well as our wonderful medical teams for everything they’ve done to help us in our decades-long journey to complete our family.”
Many other lawmakers and politicians tweeted their congratulations.
With all this conversation about Duckworth’s new arrival, I wonder, is this progress showing that women can have a career and have kids? Or is this focus on women’s personal and family life extreme, crowding out these women’s accomplishments?
Some news outlets focused their short blurb on Duckworth’s fertility struggles and her two daughters. Others took the time to mention that Duckworth is an Iraq war veteran who lost her legs in an explosion and is sponsoring legislation for families.
When I searched for other elected leaders who gave birth while in office, I only found one: Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The “elected leader” criteria eliminates royalty like the Queen of England, who has had children while holding her position. This June, Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, will become the second elected leader to give birth while in office. Again, in Ardern’s situation, pregnancy has a tendency to overshadow her other accomplishments. She became the youngest female leader in the world at age 37, according to Time. While it’s great to celebrate these pregnancies, let’s not forget these women have lives and accomplishments outside of motherhood.
