Final answer:
Members of Congress are more diverse than the general population, although there is still progress to be made. This diversity brings different perspectives and experiences to policy making, potentially improving representation. Option B
Step-by-step explanation:
In comparison to the makeup of the general population, members of Congress are more diverse than the population as a whole. While Congress is not yet as diverse as the U.S. population, there has been an increase in the representation of women and racial/ethnic minorities in recent years.
For example, in the 117th Congress, African Americans and Latinos accounted for a larger percentage of members compared to their percentage in the general population. Additionally, the percentage of women in Congress has been increasing, although it still does not reflect the female majority in the U.S. population.
This increasing diversity is important because it brings a greater variety of life experiences and perspectives to policy making, potentially better representing the constituents.
It is known as descriptive representation, where underrepresented minorities are more likely to have their interests represented by legislators who share similar demographic characteristics.