A new report has found that in spite of cultural advancement, American lawmakers are still overwhelmingly old, overwhelmingly white, and overwhelmingly male. A whopping 85% of Senators and about 83% of House members are dudes, and their average age hovers around 60. It's no wonder Congress legislates like a bitter old man resentful of the fecund promise of his daughter's youth.
The Congressional Research Service report surveys trends in the demographics of both houses of legislature since 1945. The whole report is worth a look, but what's most interesting — and striking — is the near-comical gender lopsidedness of the elected officials responsible for controlling America's purse strings.
The good news is, gender-wise, that things are slowly improving. In 1945, for example, there were no women in the US Senate, and only a handful in the House of Representatives. Now, in enlightened and post-sexism 2012, 50.8% of the population translates to 15% and 16.6% in the Senate and House, respectively. At this rate, by the year 2165, we should finally reach proportional representation in the Senate. And unless science invents a technology that allows people to live Biblically long lives, we'll all be dead by then, anyway.
Women account for about 15% of Congress [ThinkProgress]