The opening of the 118th Congress (2023-24) on January 3rd, typically a day marked by bipartisan platitudes and endless “grip and grin” photo ops, almost instantly descended into bizarre controlled chaos as the US House of Representatives failed to organize itself by not electing a speaker on the first ballot for the first time in 100 years. The ensuing political drama – including 14 ballots to finally name a House Speaker and a weird 1:30 AM swearing-in of that legislative body – eclipsed almost every news story that week.

Nearly drowned out in that all of that media noise? The important fact that more women than ever before just took the oath of office as US Senators and US Representatives. More than one-quarter of those serving in Congress are women: a record-high 28.5 percent in the US House and 25 percent (one off of the high-water mark) in US Senate, per the Center for American Women & Politics (CAMP) at Rutgers University. And while these statistics are still clearly below the gender demographic breakdown of the general US population, it’s still progress toward a more gender balanced representative government.

Globally, the US ranks slightly above par; 24 percent of those serving in elected national legislative bodies are women. According to 2019 Inter-Parliamentary Union data, Nordic and Caribbean countries lead the worldwide gender parity trend with 42-43 percent of female lawmakers; North America ranks fifth. Last year, New Zealand made history with women outnumbering men in parliament for the first time.

Of course, gender equality doesn’t necessarily translate to a unified women’s policy agenda; political party still drives debate on legislation. A recent Pew Research Center report noted that political party affiliation of women in Congress was more heavily Democrat (41 percent of women in the US Congress are Democrats, compared to 16 percent who are Republicans), but that the number of Republican women lawmakers in the House (35) is at its highest total yet. The uptake is that both major political parties are making strides in electing women at the federal level, and that more diverse voices are included in governmental discourse.

It’s all well and good (and getting better). But there’s more substance here for women beyond just cheering the growing representative equality as a “fun fact.” And for women in business – and women leading in the printing industry, especially – there’s even more relevance to these data points. In fact, the trend of more women attaining elected office presents an opportunity for women to make and leverage more meaningful connections that can help advance their companies, employees, and industry.

How can you as a women leader in a printing company identify these opportunities? It starts with recognizing and exploring common traits and interests you may share with women elected officials. Consider the following shared traits of women business owners/executives and women elected officials:

  • You are both leading and succeeding in industries and workplaces where they are in the minority demographic.

How many times have you heard the printing industry described as “old,” “white,” or “male” (or all three at the same time)? Now, think of how often your follow-up thought has been, “But I know for a fact that there are MANY rock star women leading printing companies.” (After all, you are one of them!) Well, Printing Industry, meet the US Congress. Ben Franklin himself might have felt right at home under the Capitol Dome until recent years. It wasn’t that even that long ago (2011) that women lawmakers got their own dedicated bathroom off of the House floor. A modernized women’s dress code has also taken some doing, with pants (i.e., “coordinated pantsuits”) being OK’d in 1993 and sleeveless dresses allowed on the House floor in 2017 (following a non-violent “Sleeveless Friday” protest). But, in the political world as in the business world, constructive work beats complaining, and traits like perseverance, confidence, and empathy combine to elevate strong female leaders.

  • You both have the responsibility and title of “Boss” in a business.

Many people don’t realize that Congressional offices run like small business (minus that pesky revenue generating aspect). Operationally, women lawmakers are responsible for: budgeting, staffing and HR issues (which, since 2022, may include unionized workforces), regulatory compliance, and creating productive, safe workplaces, among other duties. Does that job description sound familiar? Since the majority of printing companies are small businesses employing fewer than 100 workers, it likely does. Let’s also be honest that winning campaigns and elections requires an acumen for “sales” – a traditional talent of many successful women in the printing industry. While women elected officials may not be attending industry trade shows or plowing capital into nextgen printing equipment, there are foundational shared business principles that can result in a common understanding.

  • You both may now, in the future, or in the past identify in dual roles as moms/ family caregivers and working professionals.

It’s a simple fact that challenges such as securing affordable, accessible child or elder care, maintaining emotional health and work/life balance, scheduling headaches, and workplace indifference (or, worse, discrimination) are among many hurdles working women face while playing dual roles as moms or family care givers. Add travel – sometimes cross-country and often weekly – to the list for women politicians. So, yes, many women leading printing companies and women lawmakers are often in the same or similar boats of fulfilling dual roles. But here’s what’s really important: both are in a position of influence to explore policies to ease burdens, experiment with innovative solutions to improve conditions, and enshrine successful solutions (some by law and some via HR Handbook) to normalize and advance women in the workplace.

  • You both are stakeholders in your business and its overall success.

Wait. What? Obviously, as a printing company owner or executive, you play a vital stakeholder role in your company’s overall success. But don’t ignore the external stakeholder role that elected officials play; the laws they pass and regulations they oversee eventually have an impact on your business. Covid-era legislation like the Paycheck Protection Program is a great example – it literally kept many doors open and presses running. Education and workforce policies funding CTE (Career & Technical Education) or Second Chance Hiring provision, both of which seek to ease labor pool challenges, are good examples, too. Elected officials – women or men – are also in a position to have your back and advocate for your business when dealing with federal agencies. Sure, it cuts both ways, and you may well disagree with 90 percent of your elected officials’ politics or voting records even though you share the same gender. However, there’s still that 10 percent space in which you can agree that creating jobs, maintaining a strong tax base, and advancing opportunities for working women at all levels are mutually desirable goals.

  • Finally, you both know the value of print – even if it’s just one piece of the industry pie.

What do candidates rely upon– in part – to get elected? Print. Direct mail, signs, banners, t-shirts, bumper stickers, not to mention voter ballots. Every two or six years, your elected official becomes very familiar with these segments of the larger printing industry. This is a HUGE and underestimated advantage to your company in building a key stakeholder relationship with elected officials. You can build on this common belief in the value of print in a way that best showcases your company’s contribution to shared social, environmental and economic growth and benefits.

So, if at first blush you can’t imagine what on earth (besides gender) you might have in common with a politician, remember to stop and think again before tossing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and into the so-called Washington, DC “swamp.” There are likely more touch points here than you realize.