EDITORIAL
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
The Dallas Morning News
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) The Dallas Morning News makes the case as to why more women should be elected to public office.
Dallas
When Texan Kay Bailey Hutchison was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1993, there were seven female senators in office — a record.
One of the first things the other women advised Hutchison was to avoid walking by Sen. Strom Thurmond’s desk — they knew from experience that he liked to grab the buttocks of female senators as they passed by.
At the time, such behavior was winked at by the other members of the Senate club.
Today, there are 22 women in the Senate, another record, but at 22 percent, hardly representative of the 50.8 percent female population in the U.S.
That could be changing, largely due to the #MeToo movement that erupted after accusations of sexual misconduct against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and others.
The tsunami of sexual misconduct complaints washing across the country — which has led to the resignations of politicians from Minnesota Sen. Al Franken to Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold — has created new openings and inspired a record number of women to consider elective office.
According to recent reports from the EMILY’s List political fundraising group, the number of women seeking information about running for political office has skyrocketed from 1,000 in 2016 to 26,000 in recent weeks.
Most seem motivated by the harassment backlash, others disapprove of the Trump White House, still others are frustrated by congressional gridlock.
Is this “a moment?” Could this be a turning point that brings more American women into elected office?
Consider this: Women account for just a fifth of all U.S. representatives and senators, and 1 in 4 state lawmakers. They serve as governors of only six states and mayors in roughly 20 percent of the largest cities.
The stats tell the story. The talents of more women are needed to govern our country.
Corporations are beginning to learn that having women at the table is a plus. Countless studies have shown the presence of women in corporate ranks leads to better performance and less fraud.
Why? Women tend to lead by consensus, which avoids intemperate lurches of power. As board rooms become “less clubby” so that more questions can be asked, they become more accountable.
It’s time for more change in the political realm, in “the rooms where it happens.” This newspaper hopes more diverse options do indeed materialize in the 2018 midterm elections and beyond — on both sides of the ticket.
To make change possible, more women and men must support qualified, serious candidates who step up to this moment. That means giving time, treasure, votes. We need the full talents of America to pass thoughtful, common-sense approaches that will make our country whole and fair and prosperous.
That means giving more women a turn.
