Here's the math: Women are 50.7% of our population, only 17% of Congress, and an appallingly low 8% of the Super Committee. Only one woman--Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)--is on the committee.

This lack of representation on the debt ceiling Super Committee, which is charged with cutting $1.5 trillion from the federal budget, is pathetic, particularly given that critical programs--like Medicaid, Medicare, child care, education, food assistance, and Social Security--which have the biggest impacts on women and families are at stake.

Tell U.S. Senator Patty Murray that you're behind her all the way as she stands up for women and families on the Super Committee. When you sign on, you'll also help let the national news outlets and top leaders know that it's critical to have women's voices at the table when making decisions which are going to deeply impact our lives.

http://action.momsrising.org/go/1099?akid=2895.1872028.yuRO8a&t=4

The solutions that come out of the Super Committee need to reflect the needs of Main Street, and not just Wall Street. This Committee needs to put people back to work in our nation, and not continue bad tax break policies for the very wealthiest Americans who can afford to buy political influence while everyday people struggle.

Why is it problematic that there's only one woman on the Super Committee--and why do we need to give Senator Murray as much grassroots backup as possible?

Because, as more and more studies reveal, "When women aren't at the table, programs that disproportionately benefit and employ women--like child care, education, food assistance, and Medicare--are often the first to go."

Numerous recent studies show that having equal representation of women at negotiating tables benefits outcomes. NPR recently reported, "Psychologists have found that when groups are predominantly male, individuals tend to act in increasingly aggressive ways... They show off." Further, the Harvard Business Review recently reported, "If a group includes more women, its collective intelligence rises."

Every bit of American ingenuity possible is needed to fix our economy--and not having equal representation of women on the Super Committee hurts us all. Our nation simply can't afford to continue the way we're going with tax breaks for millionaire CEOs and corporate jet owners, while the rest of us pay an unfair portion of the taxes and have poorer schools and services. 

We need a better approach. 

There's wide agreement that the best way to reduce the budget deficit is by a combination of both cutting federal spending and by increasing revenues through ending tax breaks to the very wealthy. It's going to be an uphill battle on the Super Committee to make the changes we need in our nation. And to help get our nation back on track for real families, Senator Murray is going to need all of the grassroots backup we can muster in order to move forward common-sense solutions for real people, real moms, and real dads in our nation. 

Don't forget to tell U.S. Senator Patty Murray that you're behind her all the way as she stands up for women and families on the Super Committee. As you sign, you'll also help alert the national media and top leaders that women need equal representation in the future.

This action alert is adapted from an emailed alert sent by our friends at MomsRising.