"When women run, women win"

So, I just got back from a Women's History Month event and I am suitably inspired. I won't go over everything that the speaker, Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts covered (although, seriously, check her out, and then vote for her for governor of RI in 2010), but I do think that one of the points she made comes up again and again in politics.

When women run, they win, and at the same rate as men. But women just don't choose to run, both because they don't think that they're qualified, and because they just plain don't get asked. There are two parts, then, to this problem. The first is the difference in how boys and girls are socialized, and the second is the way political parties are run. In Robert's case, she ran after being asked by her incumbent, and informing, not asking the local Democratic party, where potential candidates may have to wait in a line before being endorsed. As far as the socialization of women, that's obviously an issue that effects many professions and situations. The upside of a bad situation is that people feel more comfortable sharing life experiences with a women, which is useful for door-to-door campaigning, something that Roberts said she was happy to find out and use to her advantage.

The counterargument to all of this is, of course, that elected officials represent all of their constituents, and not just those in their own demographic. However, I think it's important that our government be representative, and that women tend to better represent women's issues. As Roberts stated in her speech, when people's government looks like them, they tend to trust it more. I definitely will be looking into Rhode Island's track record in the future, since it didn't sound good, though as a Virginian I might be impressed.

For more info, check out this book, which happens to be by a Brown professor. You don't necessarily need to read the whole thing, but the arguments and data are really interesting.

I'd also recommend checking out this site for information on publicly financed elections in Rhode Island. Publicly financed elections have been found to increase participation by women and minorities in campaigns.