Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund

Ann Richards was a pistol, a real character, and the first woman governor of Texas (in her own right). She was a feminist Democrat from Texas, just like me, and my mom actually was involved with her campaign in the 1990s.

Ann Richards was born in Lakeview, Texas outside of Waco. Waco is where she met her future husband, David Richards, who she married at the age of 19, later enrolling in Baylor University. There, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1954. While her husband went to law school in Austin, she got her teaching certificate and taught government at a middle school.

She stopped working, but stayed involved by volunteering for political campaigns like those of Henry B. Gonzalez, Ralph Yarborough, and Sarah Weddington. Weddington was a lawyer who had been involved with the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade reproductive rights case. In 1974, Richards became her administrative assistant in the House.

She ran for office for the first time in 1976 against the incumbent Travis County commissioner and won, and was re-elected in 1980. In 1982, she was elected state treasurer, and was reelected in 1986. She was the first woman to be elected to a state office in 50 years in the Lone Star State.

Richards won the election for Texas governor in 1990 against all odds – many people didn’t even think a woman should be involved in politics at all, let alone in a leadership position like that. As governor, she appointed more women and minorities than any other Texas governor had. Having two daughters, she prided herself on helping to break down gender barriers for the women of Texas. During her term she also worked on insurance reform, created a program for prisoners who struggled with addictions, and made an ethics commission, among a number of things.

Richards was smart, and she was fierce. She didn’t take anything from anyone. She’s inspiring to me because she kept fighting for what she wanted and what she believed was right despite everything that was going on around her. I’ll always keep Ann Richards in mind as I strive for my own goals and try to adopt her attitude.

Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Written by Brittany Estes-Garcia. Brittany is a student at Arizona State University and is a volunteer with CWEALF.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association asserts the wage gap between genders for physician researchers, with women earning an average salary of $167,669 and men an average of $200,433. Even accounting for other factors such as the percentage of women in higher and lower paid specialties, the results of this survey support a significant difference in salary between men and women in academic medicine.

This study raises points about some of the pros and cons facing women in the medical profession. Today, women comprise about 31% of physicians in the United States and about half of applicants and enrollments in medical schools. They are still far from equal within the medical world, however. The JAMA study points out that there are more women than men in the lowest-paying specializations and the opposite pattern among the highest-paying specializations. The Association of American Medical Colleges published a study showing a great disparity between men and women in leadership positions at medical schools. While the percentages of women in these positions have gradually increased over the last decade, they have done so slowly.

There is, at least, a move toward promoting women in leadership positions. The AAMC study also reports the various policies medical schools have adopted to give institutional support for women. The large percentage of women in the medical field is also a positive trend of women in the applied sciences. However, this also highlights the lack of women in other science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Just by looking at the medical field, it is clear that women can be interested and excel in science-related subjects and careers. There may still be a long way to equality for women in the medical profession, but they have made significant gains and it is now time for women to make those gains in and enjoy the advantages of STEM careers. This starts with young girls engaging in STEM subjects while still in middle and high school. The Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) does this through its Girls and STEM Expos which are held at various colleges throughout the state. These expos expose girls to STEM via hands-on workshops to give them a glimpse of what STEM careers look like.

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Written by Sarah Trench. Sarah is a volunteer at the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF).

December 15th marked the beginning of an ambitious program called Women in Public Service Project. This is a partnership between the State Department and the Seven Sisters women’s colleges. This program is a new initiative focused on increasing the number of women in public service at the local, national, and international levels.

Considering our modern society is facing complex challenges that have long term consequences, the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) wants to offer pertinent and practical solutions not only for the present, but for the future. These solutions can be addressed by an active and consistent participation “of women in public service and political leadership to forge global solutions to improve governance, expand civil rights, and combat corruption.”

WPS envisions that by 2050, political and civic leadership will be at least 50% female. These are their goals:

1.    Challenge the world community to identify, create, and advance a new generation of women committed to public service;

2.    Bring together thought leaders, educators, and public servants from around the world, as well as members of the private and non-profit sectors, who wish to take up this challenge;

3.    Identify and address the obstacles that prevent more women from committing to a life of public service and political leadership;

4.    Explore creative solutions that will increase the number of young women who aspire and are empowered to pursue a career in public service; and

5.    Make recommendations for implementing those solutions at all levels of political involvement around the world

Among the speakers that took the stage were the Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde. Ironically, the main subject of the discussions was failure. However, failure was seen from a positive stand point. Clinton’s Presidential Run was presented as an example because it brought success in the long run since Ms. Clinton was named Secretary of State. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde praised Clinton, saying “It’s quite rare to see someone take that risk. It should inspire greatly.”

Another remarkable woman that spoke at the Women in Public Service (WPS) event was Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services. During the discussions she made a valid point that “The willingness to fail is necessary to succeed.” She also emphasized on the importance of taking risks when opportunity comes along.

One of the ways WPS aims to increase the number of women in political and civil leadership is by creating an online mentoring program that will connect women from around the world that have experience in the public sector to young women (future leaders) who they will mentor. This program brings awareness to the importance of increasing access to opportunities and resources. It will be very interesting to follow this initiative in the upcoming year.

For more information, take a look at the following:

Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton - Remarks to the Women in Public Service Colloquium

Video of the event - Secretary Clinton Leads Speakers at the Women in Public Service Project and Colloquium

State Dept. Launches Women in Public Service Initiative

International Exchanges and the Women in Public Service Project

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B. Perez

Throughout the twentieth century and well into the twenty-first century, many women have fought for the struggles of women, women’s equality and women’s rights. The Nobel Prize committee has rewarded three such women with a Nobel Peace Prize for “their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights” as peacemakers. All three women represent oppressed women everywhere and their Nobel Prize awards signify that women should rise up against oppression and demand equality and peace.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakkol Karmen of Yemen were all honored for their bravery, determination and tireless efforts working for women’s rights and peace. The three were greeted with a thunderous applause and ovation as they received their Nobel Prize diplomas and gold medals.

Mrs. Sirleaf, the first woman in modern African history to be elected a head of state, addressed the crowd with a heartfelt statement regarding a commitment to change and peace for war torn societies ravaged by conflict. She has shown courage to commit to democracy and the rule of law in the face of opposition and economic hardships.

Mrs. Sirleaf noted the historical achievement of three women winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but viewed it as step in moving towards universal peace.

“Today’s decoration of three women with the highest universal Peace Prize must not be a passing historic event. We must look upon this as a milestone in the inexorable march toward the achievement of genuine and lasting peace,” she said.

Ms. Gbowee, the founder of the Ghana based Women, Peace and Security Network Africa has been a vigilant campaigner and fighter against rape and oppression. She has shown a lot of courage and conviction standing up to warlords and leading protestors demanding the disarmament of fighters who continue to oppress, rape and torture women. Gbowee has literally put her body and life on the line in the name of democracy and peace.

‘We used our pains, broken bodies and scarred emotions to confront the injustices and terror of our nation,’ said Gbowee, as she addressed the Nobel audience.

Ms. Gbowee believes that the Nobel Prize award is recognition of the struggles and oppression women face worldwide, not only in Africa and Yemen, and calls on continued opposition to injustice.

“There is no time to rest until our world achieves wholeness and balance, where all men and women are considered equal and free,” she added.

Ms. Karmen, a Yemeni journalist, activist and founder of the advocacy group Women Journalists Without Chains, has been a symbol of revolution and change. Karmen has helped draw attention to the Arab Springs uprising who are not only rebelling against dictators, but also the traditional conservative Muslim mindset that have rationally oppressed and marginalized women. In her address, Karmen cited the Torah, the Koran and the Bible and called for the West to continue to support the Arab uprisings and to continue to support democracy and freedom movements worldwide.

“The democratic world, which has told us a lot about the virtues of democracy and good governance, should not be indifferent to what is happening in Yemen and Syria, and happened before that in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and happens in every Arab and non-Arab country aspiring for freedom,” she said.

All three women symbolize the courage, conviction and determination of women worldwide trying to create change through peaceful advocacy. All throughout recent history, there have been thousands of courageous women who have sacrificed and put their lives on the line to fight for freedom, democracy, peace, and oppression without recognition. The Nobel Prize committee’s recognition of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkol Karman reinforces the importance of such struggles to create equal rights for everybody worldwide. All three have been exceptional advocates for peace and the furthering of women’s rights. Both Sirleaf and Gbowee have tirelessly fought against oppression and conflict in Africa and for the elimination of brutality and torture against women. Karmen has stood up and supported peaceful demonstrations against dictators and the conservative Muslims views of women. The Nobel Prize symbolizes that the traditional injustice, dictatorship, rape and torture cannot be tolerated in modern society. These awards are a significant step towards creating universal values of peace and equality without fear of brutality, oppression or intolerance. The future looks brighter and brighter. Although the world has a long way to go to creating universal freedom, peace and equality, the recognition of Sirleaf, Gbowee and Karmen will go a long way towards achieving that goal. The work of Sirleaf, Gbowee and Karmen will continue to move forward, as will the work of millions of women that they will inspire. This gives everybody hope that if each of us shows the same amount of courage and conviction, we can make the world a better place.

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/world/sirleaf-gbowee-and-karman-accept-nobel-peace-prizes.html?_r=1

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R. Singh

In a previous article I talked about the reality of gender diversity in the corporate world, or the lack of it. I emphasized on the unequal distribution at the top executive levels when we take into account the men-women ratio.  Well, the situation is not that significantly different when we examine the political scene here in the US. Women are still under-represented at all governmental levels (federal, state and local).

Starting from 1987 the representation of women in elective offices has seen an inert progress. Prior to that, there was a small but steady increase.

Yes, the numbers have gone up, but the progress is not that remarkable if you take into consideration that the US population has increased during this time. According to the data presented by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United States ranks 90th in the world, when it comes to the number of women in our national legislature.

*Note: The U.S. is listed as 73rd, but after accounting for tied rankings of other countries, the ranking for the U.S. is 90th - as of 31 October 2011

Why is the situation like this, since we have more women that seek higher education, and women account for 50.8% of the US population (according to the 2010 US Census)?

Here is the data regarding women in an elective office (2011):

●      Congress has 535 seats - women hold only 90 seats (i.e. 16.8%);

●      Senate has 100 seats - women hold only 17 seats (i.e. 17%);

●      House of Representatives has 435 seats - women hold only 73 seats (i.e. 16.8);

●      Out if the 50 states only 6 have a female governor.

The numbers speak for themselves. Although in the US, according to the 2008 elections data, women constituted 54% of voters, when it comes to state legislators women held only 24% of the seats.

According to the Center for American Women and Politics among the states with the highest percentage of state legislators in 2011, Connecticut makes the top ten holding the 9th position.  In Connecticut the percentage is 29.9%.

Bottom line is that, the major causes for the existing state of under-representation of women in elective offices is linked to social and cultural norms (especially gender stereotypes) and the closed party system.

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B. Perez

In 2005, Liberia became the first African country to democratically elect a woman as head of the state. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Harvard-trained economist named one of the most powerful women in the world, won the country’s first postwar elections by a landslide vote. But for President Sirleaf, the road ahead would prove to be full of challenges in country where peace was very fragile and maintained by the efforts of the United Nations peacekeepers.

Sirleaf was one of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners, along with fellow Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakel Karman of Yemen. Sirleaf was awarded with the prize due to her efforts to secure peace in her country, promote economic and social development and strengthen the position of women.

When she took the role of head of the state, she inherited a country that had been devastated by a ruthless civil war, lasting 14 years. It was a dark period in Liberia’s modern history, characterized by the death of more than 200,000 people and countless acts of extreme atrocities towards civilians. Taking into consideration the circumstances in which she became president of Liberia, Sirleaf was seen as a reformer and peacemaker; a beacon of hope for this African country, especially for the African women. In an interview Sirleaf declared: 

“What a woman brings to the task is extra sensitivity, more caring. I think that these are the characteristics that come from being a mother, taking care of a family, being concerned about children, managing the home.”

During her presidency she faced growing criticism because, according to her opponents, she has failed to meet a number of expectations. When Sirleaf became president, Liberia was in a terrible shape politically, economically and socially. Sirleaf inherited a country with a rudimentary infrastructure ravaged by years of civil war, with high unemployment and extensive corruption. Her critics said that with all the international aid and investment, she should have implemented more efficient measures to boost the economy, fight corruption (a key plank of Sirleaf’s platform during her 2006 campaign) and rebuilt the country. In 2010, Liberia was named the world’s most corrupt country, according to a report by Transparency International. The journey she embarked upon was full of challenges, and it is normal that along the way, many opponents that surfaced underlined only the failures and not the progress she had made. To rebuild a nation is not an easy and smooth task.  However, on the international level she has a lot of supporters that see her work as a key element in stabilizing Liberia.

Although she hasn’t solved all the problems Liberia was faced with, Sirleaf managed to put the international spotlight on her previously overlooked country by attracting donor funding. Aside from that, Sirleaf’s gender-driven agenda, such as her establishment of laws to protect women from sexual violence, had the support and help of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

For her second electoral campaign she emphasized on the continuity, seen as a critical element in achieving political, social and economic progress in Liberia.  One popular slogan she used during her campaign was: “if the plane ain’t e’en landed yet, don’t change the pilots.” She has a point. Her work is not done but at least Liberia is heading in the right direction. During her first term Sirleaf managed to implement a number of important measures, such as restoring the infrastructure - the roads, schools, hospitals, creating jobs, and fighting corruption. It is an ongoing process.

Although Liberia’s fragile security sector still needs sustained and cohesive reforms, and is still dependent on the U.N. Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to maintain a tenuous peace, fellow Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu maid a valid point about Sirleaf: “She’s brought stability to a place that was going to hell.”

In 2010, Newsweek listed her as one of the ten best leaders in the world, According to the magazine: ‘The country has boosted school enrollment by 40 percent, restored power and running water to urban centers, and turned its timber and diamond industries into thriving—and legitimate—trades. Sirleaf has also slashed Liberia’s external debt from $4.9 billion in 2006 to $1.7 billion in 2010. Under her leadership, Liberia is a country rebuilt and reborn.’

According to The Economist, Sirleaf (Africa’s Iron Lady) is “arguable the best president the country has ever had.” 

To learn more about President Sirleaf, go here:

• Go to the Head of the Class – The Daily Beast
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Nobel-Winning Liberia President, Faces Competition In Upcoming Elections – Huffington Post

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B. Perez