Mar312010
Women and Political Leadership
Filed under Uncategorized by admin at 2:43 pm on Mar 31 2010
Jennifer Lawless wants to debunk three myths about women and politics. First, she says, when women run, they win. Second, female candidates can raise as much money as male candidates, even though they may have to work harder and longer to do it. Third, women can win without the support of Emily’s List, the powerful PAC seen by many as critical to a successful campaign.
Lawless knows of what she speaks. The director of the Center for Women and Politics Institute at American University is also co-author of the book It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office (an updated edition is due out this July.)
Lawless and her colleagues interviewed 4,000 women and men in fields that tend to lead to political careers: law, business, education and political activism. While 51 percent of those interviewed were considering running for office, women were one-third less likely than men to consider it. They were also less likely to talk to friends and family about running, less likely to investigate how to do it, and less likely, ultimately, to actually run. While the book’s initial research was conducted in 2001, Lawless notes that a new survey in 2008 has shown little change.
Among the reasons women are less likely to run are the myths noted above. But there are other, and perhaps deeper, issues at play. For example, women still bear the primary responsibility for childcare and household duties, so many with children choose to wait until their offspring are grown. But, Lawless notes, politicians typically follow a career ladder that starts at local level, then moves up to state and sometimes, federal levels. If women delay their entrance into politics for 12 or 18 years, they have to jump in at a higher level or set their long-term sights on a lower rung.
A more concerning issue revealed by the research is that women tend to think they are not qualified, even when they are. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to assume they are qualified, regardless of whether they actually are. So why do women and men self-assess differently? Lawless says women are more likely to be overly focused on qualities and credentials, while men tend to think passion and vision are enough. While self-doubt is a factor for women, she adds, so too is the fact that women still don’t fit “the typical conception of what a candidate looks like—especially at federal level.”
Finally, Lawless notes, if no one suggests you run, you’re less likely to consider it. Her research found women were less likely than men to have been encouraged to run, and often tended to discount the suggestion even when it was offered. As a consequence, Lawless says, recruitment is one of the areas where we can have the greatest impact in changing the gender representation of those in political office. “If we think a woman needs to hear [the suggestion to run] 17 times, we need to tell her 17 times,” she says.
Furthermore, political recruitment can happen quickly, says Lawless, noting that the gender gap in the Democratic Party shrank by 50 percent as a result of recruitment efforts by progressive women’s political groups. “Recruit early and often,” Lawless says. “Get girls to run for student government; those who do are 10 times more likely to run for office.” —TWT
Click here to learn more about The 2012 Project, a national bipartisan campaign to identify, enroll and support women as candidates for congressional and state legislative office in the 2012 elections.
Jennifer Lawless was the keynote speaker at the kick-off for the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts' Leadership Institute for Political Impact, held at Holyoke Community College on March 27, 2010. This write-up is based on her talk.
