Dina Titus among record-breaking 100 women in Congress

By Amber Phillips

Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 | 11:29 a.m.

For the first time ever, there are 100 female members of Congress.

And Rep. Dina Titus is one of them. The Democrat just won re-election to represent Las Vegas for a second term and has represented the Las Vegas area for three terms. She's also the only female member of Nevada's six-member congressional delegation on Capitol Hill.

On Tuesday, Titus spoke to hundreds of young women in Washington, D.C., about what that's like.

"The press never asks a man candidate, 'Well, what are you going to do about your children?'" Titus said. "That'll be the first question they ask a woman candidate."

Titus was a panelist at the second annual Women In Power summit, put on by Google, Tory Burch's foundation and Politico.

The former University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor spoke alongside DC's public schools chancellor, Kaya Henderson, and Rep.-elect Debbie Dingell of Michigan on the need to encourage more women leaders. Titus said that should start in grade school, as society emphasizes science and math courses for girls. Later in life, women need to turn around more often and extend their hand to career climbers, she said.

"We had to fight to get here so we don’t really want to share our experiences," she said. "We need to be better mentors."

Backstage, as she checked her makeup and spritzed one final shot of hairspray, Titus said 100 women in Congress isn't enough. It's less than 19 percent of the seats in Congress.

To help more women get there, Titus has written and co-sponsored bills to encourage women to enter science and math fields.

Titus said she misses her "good friend," former Rep. Shelley Berkley, who left Congress in 2013.

She and Berkley are just the second and third women to represent Nevada in Congress. Titus hinted she's no pushover with the five Nevada men she works with now.

"I don't think any of them would tell ya I'd take a back seat," she said.