It's Woman Time!

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It's Woman Time!
By Jackie Speier

Senator Speier's One Minute of Wisdom:

It is imperative that all women register to vote and cast a vote.

Run for office. Take your place in the seats of power in our nation.

A woman's voice, her leadership style and her thinking contribute greatly to our nation and the political process.

Last month, Kuwaiti women cast their votes in a historic election, after being given the right to vote amidst strong opposition from Islamists and tribal lawmakers. On a balmy island in the Caribbean Sea, Portia Simpson Miller’s motto “It’s Woman Time Now,” made history as she became elected the first woman Prime Minister of Jamaica in February 2006(1).

Around the world women are being elected to office and exercising the right to vote. As I read the press accounts of women making their first visit to polling places, and taking their place in Parliament, I remember the story of Susan B. Anthony, who decided to vote in the 1872 Presidential election in the United States. She was arrested, jailed, and fined for casting an illegal vote. Many years later, in 1920, American women were given the right to vote. Since that time, a mere 86 years, we American women have come a long way, but the statistics show we still have a long way to go:

• There have been 25 women governors in American history. Only eight of our current governors are women. No woman of color has ever been governor of a U.S. state.

• Just 14 of the mayors of America’s largest 100 cities are women (14%). There are only 81 women serving in statewide executive office.

• Women currently hold 14 Senate seats (14%) and 66 seats in the House of Representatives (15.2%), in total, 80 of the 535 members of Congress (both houses) are women (15% overall).

• Specifically in California, we stand to lose two-thirds of our elected women by 2008. In 2006, 15 experienced lawmakers must leave office because of term limits; in 2008, another eight will be forced out of office.

• The U.S. ranks 69th in the world in terms of women’s representation in national legislatures or parliaments. Yet less than one year ago we ranked 49th in the world, but our standing has been declining steadily over the past year. America’s ranking slips because our numbers remain stagnant, while other countries fortify their government with female leaders.

• Of the 7,382 people serving in the state legislatures, 22.5% are women and only 4.3% are women of color.

• Of the nearly 600 people who have served in the President’s cabinet or as cabinet-level officers since George Washington’s term, only 30 (or approximately 5%) have been women.(2)

As the 2006 elections in the United States grow closer, it is imperative that all women register to vote, and cast a vote, whether it is for a Congressional seat or a school board office. I also strongly encourage women to run for office and take their place in the seats of power in our nation. A woman’s voice, her leadership style and her thinking contribute greatly to our nation and the political process. When women are elected to office, critical social issues and vital legislation tends to be addressed by women leaders. Thirty years of social science research proves that the presence of women in legislative bodies makes a significant difference not only in what gets discussed, but also what kinds of legislation are enacted.

Women make a critical difference in the lives of those they serve:

• Women legislators of both parties are more likely to advance legislation that improves the lives of children, education and our healthcare system;

• Women legislators receive more constituent casework than their male colleagues and are not only more responsive to those they serve but more persistent;

• Women-sponsored legislation has a slightly higher rate of passage;(3)

• Women are also less likely to condone corruption, less likely to be involved in bribery and their presence in elected office actually reduces levels of corruption.(4)

• Women leaders were the ones that demanded that women and minorities be included in health research studies, when previously our science was based only on male populations.

• Women leaders demanded insurance coverage for birth control and we’re able to point out the glaring illogic of insurance coverage for Viagra, but refusing to cover the birth control pill for forty years.

• We obtained paid family leave in the legislature because women demanded recognition that caring for family members was not an extracurricular activity confined to weekend hours.

• We have breast cancer research and mammography screening, protections against domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, systemic discrimination and child care for women in the workplace – the majority of which has been achieved by women.

Imagine for one moment not being able to exercise your right to vote. Imagine being jailed and fined and ridiculed for simply voting. Think about not having any voice in what goes on in your community or your country. In honor of those women who fought so hard for our ability to be heard at the polling place, please exercise your right in the upcoming elections. Pollsters from both parties have stated since 1992, that the most powerful voting block in our nation is women. If we exercised that right, we would truly change the world.

If you are not registered to vote, learn how at www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm. If you are interested in running for office, reach out to the numerous programs and organizations available for aspiring women leaders. Volunteer on a political campaign. Make your voice heard with those who represent you. And begin to cherish your right to vote as the Kuwaiti women cherish theirs.

Senator Jackie Speier’s legacy as a policy-maker and public servant in California for over 24 years is one of leadership, passion, and courage. She serves in a dual role as a State Senator and Assistant President Pro-Tem of the California Senate and is Emerita Board Member and Founder of PBWC.