By Kathy Groob, Founder ElectWomen.com

While traveling the country promoting Pink Politics during this past year, I heard the same question over and over from women; “What are these men doing? What do you think is the reason so many men just keep trying to control our reproductive freedoms and rights?”  I always replied, “It’s like Custer’s last stand.”  They are giving it one final try to win the battle to control women; to push us back into the subservient roles of the 1950’s and before.  From state houses to Congress, men were sponsoring restrictive reproductive legislation, even banning the word vagina from the discussion.  The Vatican also got into the act when they tried to control nuns.

Women fought back with marches, protests, movements like Women are Watching and Nuns on the Bus and most importantly, their votes.

On Tuesday, Custer’s men went down in defeat, again.  The largest number of women ever will serve in the 113^th Congress, according to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP).  Women showed up in droves to vote for the pro-woman presidential candidate, Barack Obama.  And most importantly, men so grossly out of touch with the consequences of rape, were defeated soundly.

Even though the U.S. Senate lost two well-respected women, Olympia Snowe and Kay Bailey Hutchinson, the numbers increased giving women 20% representation in the 113^th Congress when it convenes in January.

Gains were made at the state and local levels as well.  South Carolina elected a woman to its State Senate, so there is no longer any state legislative chamber without any women. Three women were elected to the Covington, KY City Commission which means women now hold a majority that includes the first woman mayor.

The efforts of many women in politics organizations and individuals have paid off but there are miles ahead.  “When women are part of the negotiation and are part of decision-making, the outcomes are just better,” said New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

The 2012 battle is fought and won.  We must now begin recruiting, training and supporting women for 2013 2014 elections.  As more women are elected to public office and holding positions of power, more will be done.