Two years ago, the women of the Senate came together to reopen the government when none of the men would talk to each other. It was then that the country saw for the first time the impact women can have when they reach what’s called “critical mass” – usually between 20 and 30 percent – of anybody. Turns out women in all three branches of the government are reaching this major tipping point. Exactly a century ago the first woman was elected to office, 32 years ago we got the first female Supreme Court Justice and 23 years ago women got their own bathroom off the Senate floor. Broad Influence: How Women Are Changing the Way America Works looks at how the public sector is reaching critical mass and the work that remains in the private sector. But, ultimately, the question isn’t why this happened, but what happens next?
Newton-Small offers deep, exclusive reporting and over 200 interviews, including conversations with Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Janet Napolitano, Barbara Mikulski, Kirsten Gillibrand, Valerie Jarrett, Sarah Palin, Kelly Ayotte, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and dozens of other former and current senators, representatives, senior White House staffers, CEOs, generals, admirals, film producers and police chiefs.