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March 11, 2024Des Moines, IA |  By: AP

IA Governor to sign bill defunding gender initiatives

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa has been the only state in the U.S. to explicitly
mandate that state, county and local decision-making bodies are balanced by
gender. That will end when Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signs a bill that aligns with
other defunding initiatives across the country.
Civil rights advocates worry the trend will lead to fewer opportunities and
more hurdles for diverse voices in U.S. institutions. In Iowa, advocates for the
gender balance requirement are concerned appointive governing bodies, which have
not entirely reached parity even with the mandate, will become less
representative.
Republicans said it was past time to remove the discriminatory mandate that
prioritizes a person's gender over their merit. That view was reinforced by a
federal judge's ruling that there's not sufficient evidence the law is
compensating for discrimination now like it was when it was first introduced in
1987.