Women...wake up!!

[Breeze54]

Women Lag in Numbers in Legislatures

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/03/ap/national/mainD8NKTOSG0.shtml

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Mar. 3, 2007
By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press Writer

(AP)

While Nancy Pelosi's rise to U.S. House Speaker is a milestone for women in national politics,
women are still waiting their turn at the state level.

Fewer than a quarter of state lawmakers across America are female, and the share has changed
little in about a decade. Despite a slight gain in the overall percentage this year _ to 23.5
percent, or 1,734 of 7,382 seats _ the numbers are slipping in many legislatures.

Women lost ground in 20 of 50 Statehouses following the November election.
This year, 17.4 percent of the Ohio Legislature is female, down from 18.4 percent in 2006.
That's 23 of 132 lawmakers, down from 24 the year before.

"I've watched the numbers for years, and I'm disappointed," said former Ohio House
Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
"I would have hoped that by now we'd be going in another direction, but we're not."

Pelosi's election in January as the first female speaker of the House, making her the most
powerful woman in a U.S. elective office, could help bump the state-level numbers in 2008,
Davidson and other trend watchers said. Such a jump last happened in 1992, when Hillary
Clinton began gaining attention for her hands-on approach as first lady.

"It makes people comfortable with women in leadership," said Debbie Walsh, director of the
Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. "She (Pelosi) is on the front
page almost every day, above the fold. People see a woman operating in the world successfully
and that can't help but help."

South Carolina State Rep. Cathy Harvin, who took over the seat of her late husband, said the
odds still may be against women. The ratio of women to men in her state's Legislature is the
lowest in the nation at 8.8 percent, compared with a leading 37.2 percent in Vermont, according
to the National Conference of State Legislatures. And South Carolina's only female senator,
Linda Short, has said she won't run for re-election next year.

"Whether it be corporate or political, it is certainly more challenging for women here to find
themselves in leadership roles," Harvin said. "That might be an offspring of a religious belief
that is still prevalent in the South that a woman's place is perhaps in the home, as opposed to
in the House of Representatives or the Senate or corporate America."

Katie Fischer, policy associate for the Women's Legislative Network of the NCSL, said other
factors also are at play.

"One possible reason is the increased level of partisanship and the very intense politicalness
that exists in our country right now," Fischer said. "There's such a divide between Democrat
and Republican, left and right, that they don't see it as an environment they want to be involved in."

More at link......

:cry: >>>---> "One possible reason is the increased level of partisanship and the
very intense politicalness that exists in our country right now," <---<<< :cry:

Wha wha!!! They're saying that women aren't capable!! That you're all a bunch of 'girls'!
Cry-babies!! Boo hoo'ers! Is that true?

Surely everyone of us knows a a progressive, smart woman! Right? Urge them to run for office!!

That means, imho, that women are being pegged as unable to fight! Is that true? Is it?
Are women just wimps? Doormats? To afraid to take on that bad, big mouth, bully? :shrug:

I disagree!! Women?? Do you have a degree? Are you strong? Educated?

Then toss your hat in the ring and come out fighting!!!

What are you waiting for?? What's the hold up?

Get it on!!!!



gheesh!

[katsy]

1. k/r... BUT

I gotta tell 'ya, all this yelling made me fall outta bed this morning.

Cheers!

[Quantess]

2. I'm a cynic.

what else is new?
BTW: a shout out to Katsy!

[katsy]

5. Hi you!

I'll run if you'll be my VP!

:woohoo:

Maybe we should wait until the knuckledragers kill themselves first.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

3. I had a Bushbot Congresswoman until she was thankfully dethroned here to my

wonderful new Congressman, John Hall.

Not all women are the women that I want to speak for me. Sometimes it has to be a man.

On Edit - I would love to see more women in our Congress and in politics, but from the Democratic Party.

[knitter4democracy]

4. We've tried a couple of times to get a great Progressive in.

She's going to run again for state rep this next election. I'm still amazed that she hasn't won yet--smart, retired dentist who knows everyone, funny, and on-the-ball about the issues. She's so much better than the man we have in office right now, but she doesn't have the money base he does.

Glass ceilings everywhere.

[Cabcere]

6. It seems to me

that there's a double standard that applies to women, and that we must walk a very fine line. Too soft and we're "girly," "wimps," "crybabies," etc....but too tough and we're "hormonal," "irrational," or just plain "bitches." x( It sucks.

[JitterbugPerfume]

7. Until we as women realise our power

there will be wars ,rape and abominations such as Haliburton .

That said, I love men (some of them anyway)