Capitol Hill women Taking on Trump - and changing the face of US politics

The halls of the US Congress were, for many years, a man's world.

- Joan E Greve

The first woman elected to Congress, the Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana, joined the House in 1917, three years before the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote and decades before the civil rights movement enabled ballot access for women of colour.

Now 150 women serve in Congress, an all-time high. And as more women have joined the House and Senate, the ranks of senior staffers on the Hill have shifted alongside them. More women, specifically young women, are leading congressional offices as chiefs of staff, giving them access to lawmakers and influence.

Data shows that white male staffers are still more likely to hold senior roles on Capitol Hill, but the young women who lead congressional offices want to help change that. And among Democratic chiefs of staff, this year represents a turning point: many were first inspired to get involved after Hillary Clinton's loss in 2016, and the country has another opportunity to not only defeat Donald Trump but elect Kamala Harris.

"It's really important for women in positions of power to be speaking out and sharing their experiences," said Marie Baldassarre, 29, chief of staff to the Democratic congressman Ro Khanna. "The more of those examples that young women can have, then the less we doubt ourselves - because we've seen other people do it."