Women and Politics

This post was submitted by Jean Qiao, WCF Communications Fellow

It is no secret that women today are struggling to achieve equality in all aspects of life, especially in political participation.

What better day than International Women’s Day to highlight the achievements and setbacks in the political arena that women from around the world have faced? But to go through every country and analyze every single issue that women are facing would leave you and I with quite a heavy heart (and would take pretty much all day to read and write!). Instead, I give you three countries and their achievements/setbacks for women:

1. Sweden
Achievements: Sweden ranks 2nd in the world in the amount of women in national parliaments. As elections are held every 4 years, the latest data from the 2006 election show that women make up 47% of the parliament, making Sweden one of the most gender-balanced governments in the world. Today Sweden continues to be a world leader in women’s parliamentary representation. Sweden is expected to have their next election on September 19th, 2010. Let’s hope 2010 is the final push to 50% representation.
Setbacks: Unfortunately, this gender-balance has not been the easiest process for women in Sweden. Before 1972, women were only 14% of the Swedish parliament. In 1972 the Liberal Party in Sweden recognized the importance of involving women in politics and therefore mandated a minimum quota of 40%. In addition, the recent world-wide economic downturn has had negative effects for women as they are less likely to consider running for political office during times of economic pressure.

2. Iraq
Achievements: How convenient that the Iraqi elections were just two days ago, giving myself and all of the other bloggers out there an opportunity to jump at the chance to write about this event. According to the Iraqi constitution, at least one quarter of the Iraqi parliament must be women. This year there was a record amount of women on the ballot: Over 2,000 women were listed out of 6,000 candidates; kudos to Iraq for mandating these requirements. While exact numbers of women who went to the polls on Sunday have not been released yet, it definitely seems that Iraqi women this year are finally realizing that having women in the parliament is the best way to have their interests represented.
Setbacks: A forced quota does not necessarily translate to greater power. Men are more likely to be nominated to higher positions in the parliament therefore given far more power in decision-making. Extreme violence prevented many people from reaching the polls yesterday. In addition, women living in rural areas faced exigent circumstances on Election Day:

“Young women from a village in Diyala province told RFI that many women in rural areas were being told that they were not allowed to leave their house to participate in the elections. They added that the male members of many households had collected the voter registration cards of all the women in their family, and planned to cast ballots on behalf of their female relatives, in addition to their own”

3. The United States
Achievements: Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court saw the confirmation of its first Latina and third woman, Sonia Sotomayor. And thanks to the strong women in the U.S. Congress, the Nelson-Hatch amendment—which if passed would have placed serious restrictions on women’s reproductive freedoms—was struck down in the Senate last December.
Setbacks: The United States ranks 84th in the world in the number of women participating in our national legislature. Yes, we are lagging behind both Afghanistan and Cuba. To make matters worse, our female candidates continue to face sexism and double standards in every way possible. No wonder women must be asked an average of SIX times before they consider running for office. Furthermore, the extreme gender gap is why legislators such as Bart Stupak are able to keep trying to take away women’s reproductive freedoms.

Today we can celebrate how far women have come in many countries and across man fields—but we must also acknowledge the tremendous amount of work we have yet to do for women to truly achieve equality across the board.

This post was submitted by Jean Qiao, WCF Communications Fellow

America is hungry for moderate republican women.

In her recent appearance on Fox’s America’s News HQ, WCF President/CEO Sam Bennett argued that in order for the GOP to succeed in gaining more votes the 2010 election cycle, they must recruit more women.

When talking about the special election for Massachusetts Senate, Bennett said:

“Brown took that seat again in no small part because he was in the middle of the ground and he supports, as a majority of the Americans want to see supported, an American’s right to choose their own reproductive choices and options”

Believe it or not, only 21 Republican women serve in the 111th U.S. Congress; four in the Senate and 17 in the House of Representatives. With Republican women representing only 4% of Congress, you would think that the GOP would take the hint and rally its support behind their moderate women candidates.

Apparently numbers is not enough of a wake-up-call. Let’s not forget the special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional district last year. The Republican Party decided to back Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman, drastically yanking their support at the last minute for previously RNC-endorsed candidate Dede Scozzafava,  leading to the suspension of her campaign.

If the majority of the American people support women’s reproductive freedoms, isn’t it about time the GOP jump on that bandwagon as well?

Click here to see the full Fox America’s News HQ video on WCF’s YouTube channel.

This post was written by WCF Fellow, Stephanie Glover

Congratulations, Martha. After winning the Massachusetts Democratic primary, you are on your way to becoming the first female senator from Massachusetts!

Massachusetts participated in an historic vote yesterday as voters went to the polls for a special election to fill the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat. In the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts, Martha’s win in the Democratic primary makes her strongly favored to win the general election next month. This would be a monumental win as Massachusetts has never had a female senator or governor in their 221 year-old history. This is about to change!

In her victory speech last night, Martha talked about the challenges facing women running for office, specifically in Massachusetts: “They said women don’t have much luck in Massachusetts politics – we believed, that it was quite possible that that luck was about to change!” And, that luck is changing with Martha on her way to the general election.

Martha’s victory couldn’t have come at a more important time, when crucial issues affecting women are being debated in the Senate and House. The Senate will benefit greatly from her voice and perspective. Martha is committed to reproductive choices and recently said about women’s health care, “It’s personal with me, and it’s personal with every woman.” As a WCF-endorsed candidate, Martha is a leader on these issues and will make a strong addition to the Senate.

Currently, women make up only 17% of the United States Senate, even though they represent over 50% of the population. Martha’s election would bring that percentage up to 18%, making us one step closer to equality. As MA Senator John Kerry said, “Tonight the glass ceiling in Massachusetts politics was smashed into a thousand pieces.”

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

Though we may not agree with Sarah Palin’s policies, her resignation draws attention to the frighteningly low number of female governors in the United States.  Out of fifty governors mansions across the country, just seven are occupied by women.  On July 23, when Palin’s resignation becomes official, that number will drop to six.

The all-time high for female governors was nine, when Palin was inaugurated in December 2006.  However, that peak lasted just over a year, ending when Kathleen Blanco left office as governor of Louisiana  in January 2008.

More than half of all states- 27- have never had a female governor.  That explains why just thirty-one women have served as governor in the United States history.  Once they are in office, they can expect to undergo far more scrutiny than their male counterparts.

Whether or not you support Sarah Palin, its time for those numbers to change.  Do you know a woman who should be in office?  Tell her She Should Run.

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

Women Count Radio spoke to WCF-endorsed Ohio Secretary of state and 2010 Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner on Thursday night.  To listen to the show, click here.

Secretary Brunner is the first woman in Ohio to hold her position, and seeks to become the state’s first female senator.  The show points out how much work Brunner has done to reform the state’s election system, and how she sets herself apart from other candidates by making her goals for Ohio clear.

“If we tell our daughters, and girls and young women that they can be whatever they want to be, then somebody ought to prove it to them,” Brunner said during her interview.

Brunner was also featured in Elect Women Magazine this week.  Read “Breaking Up the Boys Club” here.

With today’s announcement of the first big round of WCF endorsements for the new cycle, we’re pleased to focus on one candidate to offer a more in-depth look at her impressive background and why she’s decided to run for U.S. Senate. Look for similar profiles of other WCF endorsed candidates in the weeks to come.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D) is running for U.S. Senate in the state of Ohio. Elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2006, Brunner is the first woman in the state’s history to serve in this capacity. She has since garnered national recognition for her efforts to make the state’s elections free, fair, open, and honest.

Brunner’s official announcement makes some great points:

Like most Ohioans, when I see problems, I look for solutions — solutions to meet our challenges so that we emerge stronger than ever. Too often we’ve seen the same-old campaign and same-old politicians return to Washington and fail to make the changes that will move us forward. We worked hard the past four years to elect new leaders that won’t ignore or belittle the problems we face in Ohio. That work must continue as we create new jobs that improve our communities by conserving energy, lowering health care costs and making our streets and highways safer.

Also, here’s an excerpt from the moving thoughts Jennifer posted herself on the Buckeye State Blog about why she’s running for office:

We must fix the damage that has been done to our economy. It is felt by everyone in Ohio and it can’t measured in some political poll — it’s felt by Ohioans losing their homes, losing their jobs, and facing the rising cost of health care. Now, more than ever, we need someone who will fight for everyone across the state and stand up to those in Washington who would rather bail out Wall Street CEOs than main street homeowners…. Washington doesn’t need another Senator who just shows up to vote. Ohio deserves a public servant in Washington who will generate ideas, show bold leadership and work with her colleagues to advance solutions. I am pleased with what we’ve done for Ohio so far; and I know I can do even more for our state in the United States Senate.

Jennifer quickly sends her message by not asking for the Democratic Party’s endorsement. Jen Nedeau, a blogger for Change.org’s Women’s Rights blog, noted that Brunner wants to move beyond party lines and instead ask for the support of all Ohioans.

Brunner is also a huge supporter of women’s issues. Take a moment to read the message in this article from The Advocate about why Jennifer is encouraging local women to get involved in her race.

According to studies, she said, family is the No. 1 reason women don’t run for office, followed by doubts about their qualifications and the fact they haven’t been specifically asked to run.

Jennifer suggested that women get started by joining political groups and working on other people’s campaigns.

We couldn’t agree more about the importance of women getting involved. We will be keeping a close eye on other great news coming out of the Brunner campaign in the weeks and months ahead.

It’s time to get ready for more elections! Here at WCF, we’re always looking down the road for the next woman to support. We hope the recent surge of women running for office only grows in the coming years. To jump start the next cycle of women, WCF has made the following endorsements for the 2009 elections:

Dr. Judy Chu (D) is running for U.S. House of Representatives (CA-32) in a special election to fill the seat vacated by newly appointed Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.

Carolyn Comitta (D) is running for Mayor of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and currently serves on the Borough Council as Chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee.

Jeanette Rishell (D) is running for the Virginia House of Delegates, District 50.

Leslie Crocker Snyder (D) is running for Manhattan District Attorney.

And many woman are already throwing their hat into the ring for 2010. WCF’s current endorsements for the 2010 election cycle include:

Jennifer Brunner (D) is running for U.S. Senate in the state of Ohio, and currently serves as Ohio Secretary of State.

Robin Carnahan (D) is running for U.S. Senate in the state of Missouri, and currently serves as the Missouri Secretary of State.

Kirsten Gillibrand (D), recently appointed to the U.S. Senate, is running for full-term election in the state of New York.

Visit WCF’s candidates page on our website to read more about our endorsed candidates.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be giving you the opportunity to get to know these candidates better, so stay tuned!

If you or a woman you know wants to run for office, make sure to fill out our endorsement application.