Former Rep. Pat Schroeder, a Colorado Democrat who championed legislation on family leave
and discrimination against women as she confronted sexism in Congress during her 24 years in office, has died at the age of 82.
When Schroeder first won election to the House in 1972 at age 32, she was one of 14 women in the 435-member chamber. According to the U.S. House Historian, when a colleague asked how she could be a mother to her young children and a member of Congress at the same time, she answered, "I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both."
Early in her congressional career, she sought a seat on the House Armed Services Committee — a panel made up entirely of men at the time. She won the seat, but had to share it with a Black member (Ronald Dellums) due to the committee chairman's opinion that "these two people are only worth half of the rest of my members, so they’re getting one chair." Schroeder and her Democratic colleagues ousted the chairman a few years later as part of congressional reform efforts. She remained on the committee during the entirety of her time in Congress.
Schroeder was an advocate for abortion rights and supported passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Among her legislative achievements were the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
“It was my great personal privilege to serve with Congresswoman Schroeder, whom many of us consider one of the bravest women to ever serve in the halls of Congress," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as House speaker, said in a statement Tuesday. "Her courage and persistence leave behind an indelible legacy of progress and have inspired countless women in public service to follow in her footsteps."
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