Will 2010 go down in history as the "Anti-Year of the Woman?"
Given the track record for women candidates already this year, I would say it's a distinct possibility. So far, we've seen Dede Scozzafava, Martha Coakley, Jennifer Brunner, Connie Saltonstall, Colleen Hanabusa, Elaine Marshall, and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter stunted, dismissed, and undermined by their own political party.
These women come from both sides of the aisle, which is one of the many important points made by National Journal reporter Erin McPike in her recent piece about the struggle of female candidates.
The obstacles to women's political success are many: lack of party support, lack of recruitment, ingrained sexism, and male-dominated leadership of both parties.
Yes, the odds stacked against women candidates seem insurmountable. However, I am proud to say that the Women's Campaign Forum (WCF) has been addressing each of these problems since 1974--and we're not about to give up now.
WCF is the oldest national non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing women's political participation, at all levels of office. We support women from the very earliest stages of their political careers.
Here's how we tackle four of the biggest problems facing women candidates:
Lack of Party Support
We know the old boys' club is alive and well on both sides of the aisle. As each woman this year has been squeezed out or rejected by their own party, WCF has been right there by their side. We watched, many times in shock, at how the political system blatantly damaged talented female candidates.
But this is exactly why WCF exists. We aren't about politics as usual. We don't wait for the masses and establishment to throw their collective weight behind a woman to support her--we're there from the very beginning.
We invest in the woman--not just the particular race she happens to be in at that time. We focus on the political careers of our candidates, seeing their individual gifts and talents.
Not bound by party politics, WCF has been able to uniquely support women in this intimate way for 36 years.
But electing women from both parties is the only way we will ever reach gender equality in our government. A non-partisan approach is essential. We will continue to look for ways to invest in women Republican candidates who support reproductive health choices to ensure that the road to women's equal representation is paved.
Women's Lack of Recruitment
Thanks to the brilliant research of Jennifer Lawless, we know that women are:
•50% less likely than men to seriously consider running for office.
•30% less likely to actually run.
•One-third less likely to view themselves as qualified to run for office.
•One-third less likely to be asked to run for office.
WCF's She Should Run program addresses these facts head-on. We know that if women aren't even thinking about running for office that they need to be asked--a lot. She Should Run's easy online platform helps us encourage women across the country to consider running for office, no matter what political party they may choose.
Through She Should Run, women are asked to consider running by someone they know and trust--which often greatly impacts a woman's decision to become a candidate.
Ingrained Sexism
Sexism remains one of the largest factors hurting women candidates. WCF has repeatedly spoken out against misogynistic remarks made about women public figures from both parties. We work with our candidates to ensure they are prepared to handle the toxic political atmosphere that has been created for women.
When the sexism was flung most recently at Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Susan Collins, Martha Coakley, Rep. Betty Sutton, Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sonia Sotomayor, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Secretary Jennifer Brunner, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, WCF and I were there speaking out and saying, "not on our watch."
Male-Dominated Party Leadership
The list of Republican and Democratic Party leaders provided by McPike speaks for itself: Women have almost no power in their own political party. Clearly women can't rely on anyone else but ourselves to increase our numbers in public office.
This is why WCF stresses the importance of women's mentorship at all levels of office as well as positions of support. As was recently reported by Erika Lovley in POLITICO, women are still largely underrepresented in the offices of Congressional members. We look to help foster women helping each other during our Hill's Got Talent and Hail to the Chiefs special programs.
We know that if we want to see real change, we must see more women at the top.
I hope that many will stand with us to work for women's leadership at all levels of office, across the country, and from all political parties.
If we truly want to advance women's rights, we need women who support reproductive health choices for all. If we truly want to reach gender equality in our government, we must support women on both sides of the aisle.