Discussion of Whether The Congress Really Represents The Us Population

It is expected that the America we know today will change. Changeability is the racial and ethnical makeup of the people in America. A century ago, many immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe helped with creating our cultural and constitutionalized diversity. Now, with new immigrants from Asia and Latin America, it adds and creates an even larger measurement of cultural and constitutionalized diversity. Furthermore, the situations with racial and ethnic groups are becoming unnoticeable by the increase in intermarriage and the growing number of mixed ancestries. Our Congress is known to be one of the most racially and ethnically diverse groups ever. Women within Congress are at an all-time high, fewer members have military experience compared to the past, and most of the members of Congress possess degrees. Even though immigrants in Congress remain below historical highs, the share of immigrants in Congress has increased, and over time Congress also has become more religiously diverse.

Debate on Whether Congress Truly Reflects the U.S. Population

When changes occur, we can get a better picture or idea of our American people. The US population compared to US Congress has many different and similar demographics that help with that visualization. For instance, within Congress, women are being elected at an increasing rate, yet men are still at a high compared to the US, and in order for Congress to truly image the US population, they would need to accept transgender representatives. The ethnicity between the US population and Congress is mostly white, but diversity has been shown to be on the rise. Black and Hispanic congresswomen are being elected, and the first Native American congresswomen were able to make Native American congressional representation proportional to the US population. It is said that, "the United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world, and a large majority of Americans – roughly seven-in-ten – continue to identify with some branch of the Christian faith" (Pew Research Center, 2015). US Congress remains massively Christian, as does the majority of the US population. Other religious representation more or less reflects the rest of the US, and the most diminished group were the non-religious groups such as agnostic or atheist.

Current Representation and Challenges

The present Congress is more established and more experienced than it was 50 years ago. So, would this mean that Congress does not represent the US population? I would say yes because most members of Congress are white males, and the needs and interests of women and minorities are not being represented. Another reason is that most of the members of Congress are stuck in their old ways, and this can cause major problems for the younger generations to come. It is said that the extremism of majorities may cause distrust of people in the legislation, which can destabilize Congress (Jones, 2019). This means that the trust that the US population has in Congress will soon be gone if Congress is not able to make the changes to match the makeup of the new US population. However, on the Congress side of things, the way people are voting also contributes to the problem. The US population must be willing to change their attitudes, work to become more active in politics, and create changes in political campaigning, and this may help Congress represent everyone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the United States is undergoing significant demographic changes, and it is essential that Congress evolves to reflect these changes. The increasing diversity in terms of race, gender, and religion should be mirrored in the nation's legislative body. While progress has been made, much work remains to ensure true representation. The American people must also play an active role in this transformation by engaging in the political process and advocating for the changes they wish to see. Only then can Congress truly represent the diverse tapestry that is the United States today.

References

• Jones, J. M. (2019). Trust in Congress remains low, but steady. Gallup. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/poll/273794/trust-congress-remains-low-steady.aspx
• Pew Research Center. (2015). America’s Changing Religious Landscape. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/