Women urged to be politically active

A breakfast rally at the State House focuses on women's participation in all aspects of the political process.

PROVIDENCE -- Each time, the correct answer was: Zero.

The questions included: How many women now hold statewide office? How many women have been governor? How many women have been lieutenant governor? And how many women have represented Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate?

"It is clear that Rhode Island faces a huge gap in gender involvement in political leadership," said Kathleen A. Swann, president and CEO of Leadership Rhode Island.

Leadership Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Commission on Women hosted a breakfast rally yesterday to support women running for public office this fall.

Swann thanked the female candidates and said, "We care about closing the gender gap in political officeholders in Rhode Island."

Swann cited a Women's Fund of Rhode Island survey released last week, reporting that while there's a shortage of female officeholders, "women care deeply about this state and the issues." She noted that about 80 women, including candidates for state and local office, attended yesterday's event at the State House.

Lisa A. Pelosi, director of programs for Leadership Rhode Island, pointed out that a front-page Journal article about the survey included six black-and-white photographs of women who've held statewide office in the past. "Is that how long it's been since we've had women in higher office that we couldn't even have color photos of them?" she asked.

Pelosi, a former spokeswoman for former Gov. Lincoln C. Almond, said she was recently telling a man who's new to Rhode Island about a Leadership Rhode Island program that tutored women on the political process. She said that as she discussed the lack of women officeholders, the man said, "It sounds like Rhode Island is stuck in the 1950s."

The audience then heard from Jennifer Lawless, who is running in a Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District; state Sen. Elizabeth H. Roberts, who is running in a Democratic primary for lieutenant governor; and Sue Stenhouse, the Republican candidate for secretary of state.

Lawless, a Brown University professor, noted she has written a book titled It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office.

"I can now tell you unequivocally that it is much, much, much easier to write a book about why women don't run for office" than it is to run for office, she said, drawing laughter.

But Lawless said she is running "in large part because we do need more women in politics." She said part of the reason more women don't run is they are less likely to get recruited. "Well, guess what?" she said. "Women are more likely to recruit other women."

Also, Lawless said women don't feel they're qualified, but having more women candidates and elected officials would send the signal to other women that they are qualified. She added, "Here's a little statistic for you: Men who don't think they're qualified to run for office still run. Women don't."

Swann had said women constitute 16.8 percent of the state legislature. And Lawless said that makes Rhode Island 37th in the country in percentage of female state lawmakers.

Roberts, a state senator from Cranston, would be the state's first female lieutenant governor if she is elected this fall.

Roberts said that while campaigning statewide she has run into women running for school committees, town councils and General Assembly seats, and she hopes that participation continues to grow.

"What we need to show is that pathway to success," she said. "And I think that is what we are going to see this year with a strong field of candidates at all different levels."

Stenhouse, a Warwick City Council member, talked about the importance of recruiting women candidates. "Almost seven years ago I was very involved in my community, but mostly in the PTAs, as we all are, and as an advocate for volunteer organizations like Special Olympics," she said.

But now-Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee, a former Warwick mayor, asked her to run. So, she said, "I'm asking you to run today. I want to be that advocate for everyone who is here today."

Stenhouse said that besides running for political offices, women can serve on "tons of boards and commissions" or work on political campaigns. "We need you," she said.

Joyce Dolbec, chairwoman of Rhode Island Commission on Women, said that women constitute 52 percent of the state's population and that women only received the right to vote in 1920. "We need to really use that power of a vote," she said.

This article, written by Ed Fitzpatrick, appeared on September 8, 2006 in the Providence Journal.