When voters overwhelmingly elected Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, the second woman to lose to the presidency in the last decade, Stephanie Howse-Jones was not surprised.
"For someone like myself in this space, it's a bitter pill to swallow that I am not wanted in this space," said Howse-Jones, a Black woman representing Cleveland's Ward 7.
The Cleveland City Council member said being a woman, particularly a Black woman, in public office is "eye-opening" when it comes to racism and misogyny.
"In my experience, you can be in this place where you are underestimated and undervalued, and literally the basis of that is based on your gender or your race or culture," said Howse-Jones, who also served for years in the Ohio Statehouse.
Howse-Jones is just one of five women serving on the legislative body of 17.
In a city where women make up 51% of the population, the council is not reflective of the population it serves, said Council Member Jenny Spencer.
Spencer said holding public office is incredibly demanding of one's time — she said she devotes "at minimum" 60 hours a week to her role as a city council member.
"It's well known that women carry the water as caregivers, even if you don't have kids, especially if you do, you know we do multigenerational caregiving. We tend to have more responsibilities at home," Spencer said. "Already as a public official, there's a huge risk of burnout, but when you consider the extra challenge of caregiving... It is a cultural thing. And I think we all have a role in changing that culture."
Research shows that in opposite-sex marriages, women pick up more housework and caregiving than men, even as their contributions to the household's income have increased.
Even inside City Hall, Spencer, who announced last week that she would not be seeking re-election in 2025, said "subtle things" like her male colleagues looking at their phones while she and other women on council speak during meetings can be deflating.
"The last time I got up on the floor and did a floor speech at council, you look on YouTube and the guys who were on video with me weren't listening to a word I said," Spencer said. "As a woman, I absolutely noticed that... And that's very telling. So while that's subtle, I think that men do have a role in acknowledging what kind of culture are we co-creating on our body for all of us in terms of who gets heard and whose comments are valued and whose ideas are valued."
Despite the challenges, Howse-Jones said it’s important for future generations of women like herself to continue to pursue elected office.
"The thing is, in looking at a Kamala Harris, I do believe there will be a Kamala effect where many women will see that and know that they can be in these places and spaces and do it well," Howse-Jones said. "And one day... we will have a breakthrough. It won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it will come."
