Final answer:
After the 2012 elections, there were 20 women serving in the U.S. Senate, and women's representation in politics has continued to increase, with over a quarter of the 117th Congress being women.
Step-by-step explanation:
Following the 2012 elections, there were 20 women serving in the U.S. Senate. This fact illustrates the progress of women in American politics, though full equality in representation has not yet been achieved. In the 115th Congress, women constituted 21.2% of the elected officials. Additionally, term limits have produced a statistically significant increase in the number of women serving in state legislatures, as shown by various studies on the subject.
In the 117th Congress, women made up just over a quarter of the members, marking a 50% increase from a decade earlier. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, serves as a notable figure in this regard, holding such a powerful position twice as the first woman.
Although women have made substantial strides, such as being represented in all professions, in Congress, and having served as presidential candidates and vice president, there is still a way to go for full equality, as the United States ranks twenty-second among the thirty most developed nations in terms of proportion of women in Congress.