Who’s on the Ballot in Cities?
by Jenny Fogarty on March 5, 2008 in All Politics is Local: An Urban Policy Blog
Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating International Women’s Day at HKS with a focus on the theme of Women Who Inspire all around the world. It struck me however, that right here in the US women make up only about 16% of our cities’ mayors. That means that - of the US cities with over 30,000 population - there are 960 male mayors and only 185 female mayors. (Our very own Cambridge is one of the 185.)
The Winter 2008 issue of the Harvard Political Review included a great collection of eight articles on mayors. Of the 10 US mayors they mentioned by name in the issue, zero of them were women. Perhaps it was because there were so few to choose from.
Why is this the case? It could be that women are less likely to win elections. But it turns out that, on average, women candidates win elections as often as men and they fundraise equally as well.
Yet studies show that somehow women continue to perceive of themselves as being less likely to win elections. This misperception of disadvantage combined with a general underestimation of their credentials ultimately means fewer women’s names are on the ballot in the first place.
In addition, there is often a lack of encouragement from others to run for office. A recent survey showed that local leaders rarely have women in mind as possible candidates, and that cities with stronger party machines tend to have fewer women elected. Programs like From Harvard Square to the Oval Office: A Political Campaign Practicum encourage women to tackle these obstacles while providing support to run for office.
A second-year Master in Public Policy student and participant in the program, Amelia Showalter, reminds us of the importance of striving toward this goal:
Getting women to think of politics as a viable and desirable career option will be key to increasing female representation. Women’s voices are not getting heard, and America is losing out on a lot of talented leaders because of cultural messages that say politics is a man’s game. This is one reason that female role models are so important. In my own research I’ve shown that electing a woman Governor, Attorney General, or U.S. Senator in your state today will increase the number of women in your state’s legislature in subsequent years.
Just last week Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore spoke to Kennedy School students and faculty about the work she has done as mayor of Baltimore (the largest city with a female mayor). She discussed the progress she is making toward supporting public-private partnerships, a new sustainability plan, university collaboration, city management, and much more. Tomorrow, there’s no doubt that I will be celebrating Mayor Dixon’s accomplishments and courage. To me, she exemplifies a woman who inspires.
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