WWhhyy WWoommeenn MMaatttteerr LESSONS ABOUT WOMEN’S POLITICAL LEADERSHIP FROM HOME & ABROAD Summit Materials National Press Club, Washington, DC March 3, 2003 Crowne Plaza, San Francisco, CA March 6, 2003 WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 1 - Find further information about The White House Project and our other research and programs online at: www.thewhitehouseproject.org The White House Project would like to thank the following for their contributions to this Briefing Book: Ann Burroughs Georgia Duerst-Lahti, Beloit College Morgan Hanger & Erin Vilardi, WHP Interns Anat Maytal, former WHP Intern Karen O’Connor, Women & Politics Institute at American University Rob Richie and Steven Hill, Center for Voting & Democracy The Proteus Fund Women’s E-News Briefing Book for “Why Women Matter” Summit © 2003 by The White House Project Edited by Shauna L. Shames Research Director, The White House Project WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 2 - Table of Contents Introduction 3 The White House Project Overview 5 PART I: SUMMIT MATERIALS Why Women Matter Summit Schedules 6 Why Women Matter Speaker Biographies 9 Summit Partner Organizations 15 Summit Postscript 18 PART II: U.S. RESEARCH Women in Politics: National Statistics 20 Research Overview: Do Women in Local, State, and National Legislative Bodies Matter? 21 A Definitive Yes Proves Three Decades of Research by Political Scientists PART III: INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES & STRATEGIES Women in Politics: International Overview 26 Women in Politics: Country Rankings 28 Strategies for Equality: Initiatives from a Selection of Countries 33 PART IV: U.S. INITIATIVES & STRATEGIES Introduction: U.S. Initiatives & Strategies 39 Overview: A Selection of Possible Strategies to Increase Women’s Political Representation 41 Detailed Descriptions of Select Strategies: A. Recruitment & Training Programs: Overview 42 Local & Community Projects to Increase Women’s Political 43 Participation in Individual States B. What is Proportional Representation? 52 C. What is Instant Runoff Voting? 54 Related Article: American Women Have a Long Way To Go 55 D. Public Funding of Campaigns & Clean Money Initiatives 57 E. How Can CEDAW Be Used to Increase Women’s Political Power? Two Local Initiatives 58 Conclusion: More Women in Political Leadership - Strategies for the Coming Decade 62 WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 3 - Board Of Directors D eborah Carstens (AZ) Kathryn Kolbert (PA) E ntrepreneur, WISH National Board Executive Producer, Justice Talking B arbara Dobkin (NY) Deborah Slaner Larkin (NY) F ounder & Chair, Ma'yan Activist W ini Freund (NY) Colleen May (CA) Long Island Community Foundation Owner, Intervine Inc. Margaret Greenawalt (PA) Mary McCormick (NY) Activist President, Fund for the City of New York Donna Frisby Greenwood (PA) Wendy Puriefoy (DC) Executive Director, Inner City Games President, Public Education Network Kathleen Hall Jamieson (PA) The Rev. Dr. Katherine Ragsdale (MA) D ean, Annenberg School for Communication Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice B oard Emeritus Davia Temin (NY) President, Temin & Company White House Project Staff White House Project Interns 2002-2003 Marie C. Wilson, President Alanna Chan Beverly Neufeld, Executive Director Sevan Basil H elen French, Executive Assistant Lorett Cisse M ary Semela, Development Director Morgan Hanger Shauna Shames, Research Director Kate Henningsen Sonal Nalkur, Public Education Director Anat Maytal Tanya Rodriguez, Finance Associate Marlysha Myrthil B obbie Watkins, Fundraising Associate Julie Nimnicht E lizabeth Chatalas, Programs Janice Oh Sarah Phillips Alyssa Saunders ErinVilardi White House Project Consultants 2002-2003 A merican Viewpoint, Linda DiVall and Bob Lake Snell Perry & Associates, Celinda Lake Carpenter Laguens, Hamburger, Stone, Dawn Laguens Bronznick & Jacoby, Shifra Bronznick and Martin Hamburger Melissa Silverstein Public Interest Media Group, The Cosgrove Group, Tom Cosgrove Susan Lamontagne & Andrea Miller Communications for Development and PSG Consulting, Page Gardner Social Change, Ann Burroughs The Strategic Issues Management Group The Farwell Group, James P. Farwell WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 4 - Introduction By Marie C. Wilson President, The White House Project Despite its historical role of leadership in the women’s movement, the United States ranks 58th among nations in its representation of women at the national level. We believe that the time has come to change the face of America’s political leadership. To this end, The White House Project has launched a new initiative, Why Women Matter: Lessons About Women’s Political Leadership from Home and Abroad. Our primary goal is to inspire a national movement to increase the number of women in politics in this country. Our summits in Washington D.C. and San Francisco brought together international and domestic leaders, political experts and representatives from women’s organizations. We looked at successful ideas and initiatives that have been used in other countries and at home to increase women’s representation. These summits presented a unique opportunity for our nation’s leaders and aspiring women leaders to collaborate with women who have successfully created change and opened the doors to political leadership for women in their own countries. In some cases, this has been accomplished through political mandates for inclusion, and in others, a groundswell of support for women candidates at the grassroots level. In all cases, there were valuable lessons for us to learn. Consensus is building globally that women play pivotal roles as agents of change in their communities and societies. Increasingly, women collaborate within and across their borders to reach their full political and economic potential, irrespective of cultural differences. During the last ten years, many nations have recognized the power of women as a force for social change and have embraced mandates to include substantial numbers of women in government. There is no doubt that democracy in the United States would be strengthened if it were to be more reflective of the demographics of this country and more representative of the majority. At present women comprise 52 percent of the nation’s population, yet they are vastly under- represented in government. Only 14 positions in the 100 member Senate are held by women, and only 59 women serve in the 435 House of Representatives. Nationally, only 20 percent of all elected officials are women. Of the 50 state governors, six are women, and in our nation’s history, only 23 women have served as governors. This is particularly significant since many men have launched successful bids for the presidency from the governor’s office. At the local level, representation of women has dropped dramatically. It is this pipeline that provides the most critical conduit for state and national representation. If we are to fuel this pipeline, we will need all the help we can get to reframe, reinvigorate and support local strategies to foster the entry of women into positions of leadership. If we are successful, we will inevitably change the face of government in the United States. WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 5 - Why Women Matter gathered together some of the best minds to think creatively about which strategies and initiatives, from home and abroad, will be most effective in advancing women’s representation in this country. Our summits in Washington D.C. and San Francisco were set within a framework of key questions: Why is it important that women enter government and what happens when a significant number of women govern? What strategies were used by women in other countries to push for and maintain this critical mass? How can we do the same in the United States? Without losing sight of our long-term goal of changing the face of government in this country, Why Women Matter provided all of us with the opportunity to achieve several key objectives. We strengthened and expanded collaboration among sister organizations. We began the creation of a network amongst ourselves, comprised of advocates for more representative democracy in our country and a corps of natural allies and supporters for women candidates. We believe that a drumbeat of support across the country will shift broad public perceptions about the capacity of women to lead. It is our hope that this drumbeat will motivate more women to become involved in politics and inspire more party activists and grassroots organizers to support them. There is no dearth of women and men who have both the passion and the capacity to pursue a vision for truly representative government. The Why Women Matter summits offered a rare opportunity to gather this energy and expertise together, and to document and share the rich diversity of experience that has resulted in the inclusion of women in government the world over. The White House Project has worked with several partners to create the Why Women Matter summits. The depth of the collective wisdom and expertise that our partners have so generously put at our disposal has been extraordinary. They have functioned in a way that we can best describe as the beginnings of a brain trust for this movement to which we are all committed. It is with gratitude and admiration that we list them. Further information on each along with their websites can be found in the “Summit Organizational Partners” section of this booklet: WASHINGTON, DC SAN FRANCISCO Center for Women’s Global Leadership The Women’s Foundation of San Francisco Council of Women World Leaders The Women’s Leadership Alliance Feminist Majority Foundation The Susie Tompkins Buell Foundation. UNIFEM Women’s Environment & Development Organization Vital Voices The Washington Area Women’s Fund The summits have been made possible through funding from The Ford Foundation The Susie Tompkins Buell Foundation The Levi Strauss Foundation, The May Foundation, Principal Financial Group WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 6 - The White House Project: Overview The White House Project is a national, nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting women as leaders up to and including the Presidency. As a program of the Women’s Leadership Fund, WHP works to (1) enhance public perceptions of women’s capacity to lead; (2) change biases against women’s leadership ability; and (3) foster the entry of women into positions of leadership. Research Initiatives The White House Project conducts groundbreaking research to examine the state of women’s leadership. Our research answers questions including: are voters “tougher” on women candidates than men? Does the press cover female candidates differently than male candidates? and Do young women aspire to political life? Research allows us to go beyond defining the problem to determining real solutions. When women’s voices are being heard, how can they be perceived as tough and effective? When men outnumber women 9 to 1 as guests on the Sunday morning political talk shows, how do we ensure that women are represented? Youth Programs The White House Project is working hard to ensure that girls can really be anything they want to be. We teamed up with the Girl Scouts of America to create a new “Ms. President” patch that encourages girls to consider civic engagement. The Scholastic Art and Writing Contest done in conjunction with WHP provides a platform for students’ expressions of women’s leadership. WHP has also partnered with teen magazines like CosmoGirl! to inspire young women to see themselves as leaders and take action. Reaching Out Across Sectors The White House Project hosts an annual meeting for top women to develop new strategies to foster women leaders of today and tomorrow. Participants grapple with challenges such as how to help women leaders be seen and heard; how to shift the balance of power – and ensure that women work side-by-side with men in all professions and at all levels; and how to encourage young women to pursue leadership positions. Changing the Culture The White House Project believes that positive images of women leaders must become embedded in our collective national consciousness so that women’s leadership becomes the “norm” in this country. We have held meetings with Hollywood executives, conducted presentations at the Sundance and Full Frame Film festivals, and collaborated with many media outlets to discuss the images of women leaders the public sees in popular culture. WHP also helped create Women’s Leadership Through Sports, where junior WNBA players spent the day shadowing congressional staffers on Capitol Hill. The White House Project’s annual EPIC Awards – Enhancing Perceptions In Culture – honors outstanding individuals and organizations that promote positive images of strong women leaders in TV, movies, books, music, sports, and other pop culture venues. Some of last year’s honorees included Parade Magazine, the National Visionary Leadership Project, and Lifetime Television. We know most people agree that the Presidency should be a career option for women. And The White House Project is recruiting the public to help us hurry history – and help put a woman at the top of the ticket! WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 7 - Washington, D.C. Summit Schedule March 3, 2003 National Press Club 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20045 SCHEDULE 9:00-9:30 Coffee & Registration 9:35-9:45 Welcome: Marie Wilson, President, The White House Project 9:45-11:00 First panel Our first panel will address why women’s presence in national and statewide legislatures is important, and what difference women have made around the world. National and international experts will share research and personal perspectives on the impact of women in legislative and executive roles. Introduction: Laura Liswood, Secretary General, Council of Women World Leaders Moderator: Judy Woodruff, Anchor, Inside Politics, CNN Panelists: (cid:1)(cid:2) Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. House of Representatives (D-Washington, D.C.) (cid:1)(cid:2) Debbie Walsh, Director, Center for American Women and Politics (cid:1)(cid:2) Christine Pintat, former Officer in Charge of the Programme on the Status of Women, Inter-Parliamentary Union (cid:1)(cid:2) The Honorable Marjorie Mowlam, MP, Great Britain (cid:1)(cid:2) Charlotte Bunch, Executive Director, Center for Women’s Global Leadership 11:00-11:15 Break 11:15-12:30 Second panel The focus of our second panel will be international examples and strategies for increasing women’s political participation, and what the response was in various countries. Introduction: June Zeitlin, Executive Director, Women’s Environment and Development Organization Moderator: Michel Martin, Correspondent and Guest Anchor, Nightline, ABC News Panelists: (cid:1)(cid:2) Sheila Sisulu, former Ambassador to U.S., South Africa WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 8 - (cid:1)(cid:2) Anita Gradin, former Eurpoean Union Commissioner, Sweden (cid:1)(cid:2) Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for Social Research, India (cid:1)(cid:2) Pippa Norris, Professor and author, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, United States (cid:1)(cid:2) Yvette Roudy, former Minister for Women’s Rights, France 12:30-2:00 Lunch Welcome: Anne Mosle, President, Washington Area Women’s Foundation Keynote: Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State 2:00-2:15 Break 2:15-4 pm Roundtable Discussion of Strategies The Roundtable will feature national experts discussing strategies and current models for increasing women’s political representation here in the United States. Introduction: Beverly Neufeld, Executive Director, The White House Project Moderator: Pat Mitchell, President, PBS Panelists: (cid:1)(cid:2) Donna Brazile, Political Strategist & Consultant (cid:1)(cid:2) Linda DiVall, President, American Viewpoint (cid:1)(cid:2) Georgia Duerst-Lahti, Political Science Chair, Beloit College (cid:1)(cid:2) Donna Edwards, Executive Director, ARCA Foundation (cid:1)(cid:2) Heidi Hartmann, Director, Institute for Women’s Policy Research (cid:1)(cid:2) Swanee Hunt, Director, Women and Public Policy Program, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (cid:1)(cid:2) Celinda Lake, President, Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates (cid:1)(cid:2) Ruth Mandel, Director, Eagleton Institute for Politics (cid:1)(cid:2) Karen Narasaki, President & Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (cid:1)(cid:2) Rob Richie, Executive Director, Center for Voting and Democracy (cid:1)(cid:2) Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority Foundation (cid:1)(cid:2) Linda Tarr-Whelan, Partner, Tarr-Whelan & Associates (cid:1)(cid:2) Melanne Verveer, Chair, Vital Voices Global Partnership 4:00-5:00 Networking WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 9 - San Francisco Summit Schedule March 6, 2003 Crowne Plaza Union Square 480 Sutter Street - San Francisco, CA SCHEDULE 9:00-9:30 Coffee and Registration 9:30-9:40 Welcome: Susie Tompkins Buell, Susie Tompkins Buell Foundation 9:45-10 Overview: How Women Matter: Marie C. Wilson, The White House Project 10-11:15 Panel of International Guests Our international guests will focus on examples and strategies to increase women’s representation in their countries and around the world. Moderator: Kavita Ramdas, Global Fund for Women Panelists: Ranjana Kumari, Centre for Social Research, India Dr. Glaudine Mtshali, South African Consul General, L.A. Anita Gradin, Former E.U. Commissioner, Sweden 11:15-12:30 Roundtable Discussion of Strategies Political leaders, local activists and thinkers will focus on local and national strategies and their impact on increasing the number of women in elected office. They will also discuss how the local San Francisco strategies can be exported and used as part of a national dialogue. Introduction: Patti Chang, The Women’s Foundation, San Francisco Moderator: Eunice Azzani, The Women’s Foundation, San Francisco Panelists: Andrea Dew, Emerge Belle Taylor-McGhee, Department on the Status of Women & Women’s Leadership Alliance Sophie Maxwell, San Francisco City and County Supervisor Steven Hill, Center for Voting and Democracy Pat Dando, Vice Mayor, San Jose CA Celinda Vasquéz, Office of Senator Martha Escutia, Montebello, Senate District 30 Cathie Bennett Warner, Lincoln Club of Northern California 12:45-2:00 Lunch Keynote: Senator Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles, Senate District 23 2:00 Networking WHY WOMEN MATTER SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 110 Wall Street, 2nd floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 785-6001 - 10 -