My general feeling on the state of this country is that all our issues would be better solved by opening up our government to citizens who don’t have their life experiences, values and needs currently represented by the majority of politicians from both parties.
As Democrats, we have the power to do that.
We aren’t going to solve the climate and environmental problems, income inequality or any other major issues with the same tired ideas and perspectives that caused them. Our society is ordered with men at the top. From birth, women are taught to be “demure” and men to be “assertive” as Pres. Obama so correctly wrote in his essay on sexism. Women make up about 20% of legislators on a state/federal level. Local gov’t is awful as well...where I live in WI it was recently pointed out that 75% of our Town Boards have zero women on them. Yikes.
What prevents women from running? See: 2016.
Well, there are actually many reasons...all well documented. A big reason is that women aren’t seen as candidates so they aren’t identified locally...friends, family and colleagues will encourage political/civic minded men in their circles to run without ever mentioning it to a political/civic minded women they know. Women are treated differently when they look for power in our culture, they are seen as conniving, too ambitious, bitchy. When men step up, they are Leaders.
Another reason a lot of women don’t run is because they are at home washing dishes, grocery shopping and returning RSVPs to kids bday parties. They do 1-2 hours more of unpaid work each day that men don’t have to do (on average) so they just don’t have time to run for office. They might already be running the PTO, soccer, volunteering with committees, but a young guy with a shit load of education and no family responsibilities will definitely have more time to pursue elected office. If you don’t think this is true, look at who we elect in the Democratic party. Twice as many male Senators. Twice as many male House Reps. They came from state gov’t, county gov’t etc. where women just don’t have representation. Or childcare.
So I loved reading this piece this morning about the women of NV who are stepping up to lead the way out of this mess and provide their citizens with the legislation they deserve:
At 39.7 percent, Nevada now ranks near the top for women’s representation in state politics, second only to Vermont. The bills women are bringing to the State Senate floor this session range from the annual ranking of companies by how fairly they pay men and women to arguably the most historic — the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
The state legislature is a testimony to what many who study gender inequity in politics theorize to be true: Increased gender representation directly translates into better consideration of women in the drafting of law and policy.
And taking it to a big-picture level really makes the case for equal representation for women:
Studies also show that although female politicians have a wide range of positions, they often are more compassionate, better at working across the aisle and more willing to compromise, qualities intricately bound in successful policymaking.
An increased presence of women in elected offices will not only advance gender equity, it will subsequently help men, because women lawmakers are proving to be, across all the issues — women’s or not — more productive lawmakers.
Women are pissed off. We are stuck between two parties — one that sees us lesser citizens. The GOP would prefer we go back to earlier centuries where we are quiet help-mates to the men in our lives, they should have control over our bodies, our wages, our communities, our candidates.
The other party needs us as the workforce, the grassroots canvassers, the people to make phone calls and put out cookies at meetings...but puts a lot of progressive white guys on the ballot. If the Democratic party doesn’t take a hint from Nevada and work to embrace the thousands of new women from all backgrounds and communities sitting on School Boards, County Boards, City Councils and create a culture where they are seen as equally important voters, candidates and potential future presidents the party will be just another barrier in their way.