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view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more. >> friends don't have to be rare. >> fox supports c-span along with other these television providers. >> march is women's history month and we have been marking it here on the washington journal all morning. now our conversation turns to benefiting the country. we have divided the lines yes and no. here is how folks answered. 57% said the country would be governed better if there were more women in political office.

22% said the country would be governed worse. 21% of those surveyed said it makes no difference. gallup also asked about whether, this is the response. 60% of women said yes that the u.s. would be governed better with more women in office. 46% of men believed it would be governed better. that is how it breaks down by gender. dial in. many of you earlier this morning during our conversation talked

about women running for office. the women who have run for office in recent previous cycles and those that have run in cycles before. not just for the presidency. there are officeholders at the start of the 118th congress. patty murray of washington state was sworn in as the first woman ever to serve as president pro tem of that chamber. the position third in line of presidential succession. we had a chance to chat with her , here is that exchange. >> i remember when i came to the senate, there were two women and then there were six. remembering that this isn't about me.

it is really saying to young girls to go out, dream your dreams, and you will be able to do big things. it has always been about needing their potential in this country. i do it all the time, but this will give me another opportunity to do that. >> democratic senator patty murray of washington. a position third in line of presidential succession. would more women officeholders benefit the country? yes or no. you say yes, catherine. >> good morning, yes. i say yes again because we have foresight.

we can see things in a different way than men. i'm not putting men down or anything. i wanted to speak about kamala harris, the vice president. i think she would be wonderful president if she had to be and people are putting her down. last week, they painted such an ugly picture of kamala harris that i thought it was so unfortunate. anyway, you take care. >> ok, catherine. thanks for playing along. c-span set down with sandra day o'connor back in 2009 where she discussed her history making role as the first woman to serve on the nation's highest court.

>> i didn't believe for a minute i would be asked to serve. i went back to arizona after those interviews and said to my husband how interesting it was to visit washington dc and to meet the people around the president and to meet the president himself and talk to him. i said, thank goodness i don't have to go do that job. i wasn't sure i could do the job well enough to justify it. i've often said it is wonderful to be the first to do something, but i didn't want to be the last. if i didn't do a good job, it might have been the last. indeed, when i retired, i was not replaced then by woman. which gives one pause to think, what did i do wrong that led to this?

but i'm sure that the future will show that we have other women serving on the court. it is hard to be the only woman in the court which i experienced for about 10 years or so. it is realistic to think in terms of a number of women on the court. >> that was the late sandra day o'connor talking about being the first woman to serve on the high court. would more women officeholders benefit the country? yes or no. but nancy, you say yes. good morning. thank you for taking my call. i say yes and i don't mean all women, but what i do mean is

women have a better judgment. we multitask better than men and we understand what is good for this country, which is peace. we cannot continue down this road. women are lovers. we love the world, we want the world to be free and peaceful, so women have a better judgment but not all women. thank you for taking my call. host: she says yes. you also say yes, dial in this morning at (202) 748-8000. if you say no, call us at (202) 748-8001. you can also text us with your answer, include your first name, city and state. join us in the conversation on facebook.com/c-span or on x with the handle@c-spanwj. a reminder of the answers that

gallup received when they asked this question earlier this month. with the country governed better or worse with more women in political office? 57% say the country would be governed better. 22% say the country would be governed worse and 21% said it 60% of women said they the country would benefit with more women in office while 46% of men said yes. what do you say? this morning on "washington journal" as we mark women's history month. american history tv did a profile of the first woman elected to congress, jeannette rankin, a republican from montana. here is a portion. [video clip] >> the story of women in

congress begins with jeanette rankin who was elected in 1916. she is elected four years before women have the right to vote nationally. she is a bridge from the supper jury -- from the suffrage movement to women obtaining full political rights. she was active in a national women's suffrage organization. she helped women get the right to vote not only in montana but states west of the mississippi. she runs in 1916, elected to one of montana's large districts. she's a pacifist. she is sworn into the house april 2, 1917 and the house has come into special session because the president that night, woodrow wilson, delivers a message to congress asking for a declaration of war against

germany. rankin when the vote is held is one of a group of 50 members who votes against u.s. intervention in world war i. she served a term in the house, she was on the women's suffrage committee. she was on an important assignment for a woman from montana with much of the land being held by the federal government. she serves on the interim in the house and tries to run for senate in montana. she runs as an independent. edit uphill battle, she gets a fifth of the votes and she goes back to private life and she is involved in women's rights issues, a driving force behind the maternity and infancy act

which house passes. she is involved in international peace organizations. fast-forward to 1940, she runs for congress again. she runs on a platform to keep the u.s. out of the war in europe. on december 8, 1941, she is faced with a tremendous vote, the day after pearl harbor. fdr has come to the house chamber and addressed a joint session of congress. >> yesterday, december 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy. >> descendant that the senate goes back to its chamber and dachshund the senate goes back to the chamber and -- the senate

goes back to their chamber and unanimously votes to go to work. we have some oral histories of people in the chamber who recall members going up to rankin and asking her to vote present, don't vote no. she votes her conscience and she opposes the war. she's the loan vote for entrance into world war ii. that effectively ended her political career. she goes back into private life. she is a force in the antiwar movement for another couple of decades. in remarkable career. host: to spend's -- c-span's american history tv with the first woman elected to congress. for more, you can follow them on x @cspanhistory.

saturday's on c-span at 8:00 a.m. eastern or anytime on c-span.org/history. this morning marking women's history month with a conversation about woody more women officeholders benefit country. charlie says yes in texas. caller: hi. how are you doing? i voted yes because there are more women that are governors, more women that are heads of corporations and women-owned businesses than ever before. it makes sense there should be more women in congress. host: david in south carolina, you say no. caller: the question implies the government would be better because there are women. i would like people to listen to

this, i would like you to give me a chance to explain. i think at this deep politics is inherently divisive. a big example is when obama was elected. as a conservative republican, i was happy. i felt good for him. and then refilled eight years of identity politics which divided the nation and led to trump's election. i am not for enforced diversity. i think it is a natural thing. what is wrong is riveting women from voting or running for office. nature should take its course and more women will come into government but not because they are women. that is identity politics which is divisive. it is a sad thing. another example is.

goldwater is considered a racist. he was one of the greatest supporters of immigration and index immigration -- ending segregation. he voted against the civil rights act of 1964 and for the civil rights act of 1957. he feared causes in -- -- clauses in that act would leave -- leads to hiring quotas. that is what he was concerned about. if you look at his record, they call him a racist. host: we are asking if more officeholders would benefit the country. look at the numbers by women in politics. we have one female vice president, 11 women serving in cabinet conditions. four on the supreme court, 25 in the u.s. senate and 186 women,

29 percent, serving in the u.s. house. 25% in the u.s. senate. there are four females serving as u.s. delegates. 12 governors. 22 lieutenant governor's and other statewide elected officials elected executives, 65 -- elected executives, 65. aurora, you say no. caller: i say no because i believe women in office right now are too the world. a lot got elected just because they are female. we should be elected because we have a head on her shoulders and a brain. i am a republican, an activist, a proud texan. i am 70 years old and i feel like i'm just getting started and i am going to try to get into political office. i am in uvalde, texas, trying to organize the families of the shooting. there is any injustice to the

children and any injustice to the parents. i am going to tell people to remember who we are. it has to be the right kind of woman and that is what this country needs, the right kind of women. we don't kill babies, we promote life. host: kerry in north: a company say yes -- in north carolina, you say yes. caller: absolutely. you have many things that have gone unnoticed. anybody watched him eat him -- watched jimmy kimmel the other night probably got a laugh that he had a skit showing men these historical women figures. rosa parks come harriet tubman, the queen of england.

the only thing the men concentrated on were women in porn. if you look at the makeup of congress over the span of time and you look at the population come how much women are in this country, how many men in this country, i don't care which were you swing, but when you are not seeing the complete chair of a complete society -- the complete picture of a complete society, you are losing access to ideas and innovation. you are losing so much skill power that sits behind it. have we progressed over a period of time? absolutely.

when you have a broader society that literally does not know many key figures, and that includes all the way around the world. there have been many women leaders and one of the things i was thought was funny was talking to military men. i am old enough to live through when women were not allowed to do certain anxiety military and you have a lot to say women are incapable. -- a lot who said women are incapable. host: we lost you right at the end. more women in the military. caller: yeah. the ultimate goal would be peace no matter what all the way around the world. they also doubt in case we get stuck in wartime era. .

tubman led -- harriet tubman let. d. the queen of england led. host: i'm going to go to matt in florida. you say no to this question. caller: i say absolutely no. host: white? -- why? caller: women are not forced to sign selective service for work. they are not asking that you become something. they are not actually equal to men when it comes to this kind of stuff. host: doug in new word, virginia. also no. caller: i am not no or yes. it doesn't matter about gender, what matters is if you are going to go introduce your job. host: who will do their job?

caller: someone who is there to do what they do. . they're not doing their jobs. do you go to a meeting you are required to be at and don't show up? you lose your job. if you don't pass a bill to fund your country, you still get paid. the country doesn't get paid. these people need to go to congress, stop silly crap, do one vote and one bill and straighten this country out way it is supposed to be. it does not matter if you are a man or woman, black or white, do your job. host: edna in chicago. i know you already yes -- you are a yes. caller: good morning. women have always been smarter than men.

there are some things i don't agree with women doing, football and basketball. when it comes to the senate and the congress, women have better ideas. we have a much better country and we have more women in washington, we would not have that orange one up there making a mess out of everything. hate is so thick in this country you could cut it with a knife. i have never seen it like this. host: she says more women in washington. nancy pelosi became the first female speaker of the u.s. house, making history there. i want to show you a clip from the c-span archives. this is when the newly elected nancy pelosi answered a reporter's question about her age. she is flanked by women serving

in that congress at the time. [video clip] >> your colleagues probably say your decision to stay on prohibits the party from having a younger leadership. what is your response? >> next. we have always asked that question except to mitch mcconnell. [applause] >> you are all over 70, does your decision to stay on a bit younger leadership? >> you are suggesting everybody step aside? >> no, simply delay younger leadership. >> let's honor that that is a

legitimate question although it is quite offensive. you don't realize it, i guess. the fact is that everything i have done in my decade now of leadership is to elect younger and newer people to the congress. my own personal experience, it was very important for me to elect two young women. -- elect young women. i came to congress when my youngest was practically on her way to college. i knew mike kelly -- my male colleagues had, they were 30. they had a jump on me. i did what i had to do, i was blessed to have that opportunity to raise my family and come to congress. i wanted women to be here in greater numbers at an earlier age so that their seniority

would start to count much sooner . it wasn't confined to women, we wanted to keep ringing and a younger people and some of the decisions we made over the years . the house in 2006 and others as before and since was to encourage people to come. when they come, to give them opportunity to serve. i don't have any concerns about that. i was home raising a family, getting the best experience of all in diplomacy. the answer is no. host: that was nancy pelosi back in 2012 talking about her ality in this country. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we are back with erin