Women and Politics

In a word, yes.

Clearly, we here at WCF already know that. But it seems this concept is slowly but surely being taken more seriously. Mark Lange’s article in the Christian Science Monitor asks if we have too many men steering. Would we live in a healthier, more secure world if women had equal decision-making power? Lange says yes:

Doubt it? Here’s a test. Would any of the women you admire have set up a healthcare system as byzantine, costly, and underperforming as America’s? Or a financial system where mortgage lenders don’t have to care about being paid back?

This isn’t to say that women in power = everything is magically fixed. Or that women are just so darn compassionate and caring that they would never allow any harm to come to their constituents. However, the large absence of women in power can’t be ignored. And it seems that women leaders embrace values of responsibility, shared power, and concern for others.

We’re heading into an era when we need leadership that enlists self-interest in support of the larger outcome – less transactional and more transformational. Rather than punishing failure or reinforcing conflict, motivating progress.

In 2009, it seems crazy that we still have to make an argument for having women equally represented in power. But we do. And that’s why WCF is here - encouraging, supporting, and engaging women in the political process - making it known that women deserve and equal place in running our world.

Tags: politics, power, values, wcf, women, Women and Politics