I moved to New York in 1984, during the '80s version of our
nation's "historic year for women's leadership." Before there was talk of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sarah Palin, New York was abuzz with women taking the political lead: Geraldine Ferraro had just been named the first woman to appear at the top of a major party ticket, Elizabeth Holtzman had just served three Congressional terms, and the indomitable Bella Abzug was planning her next foray into politics.
The only political woman I knew at the time was Ruth Messenger, the president of New York's City Council, and she took me to a panel where mayoral candidate and Borough President Carol Bellamy was speaking. It was an electric time for me to be starting as the president of the Ms. Foundation for Women, and we all had high hopes for women in New York and across the country. It seemed that, perhaps, our time had finally come to lead alongside men in the political arena.
Yet it's been 24 years, and we are still waiting.
According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United States ranks an abysmal 71st in the world for women's political representation - behind such stalwarts of democracy as Iraq, Sudan and North Korea. And I'm sad to say that the great state of New York is 23rd in the nation for the proportion of women in our legislature.
With a newly-released UN study observing a marked increase in women's worldwide political participation, why does our great nation lag so depressingly behind? What will it take for us to climb the ladder of gender parity once and for all?
Earlier this month, Rwanda made global history when it became the first nation where women outnumber men in parliament. It took genocide and the implementation of a quota system for Rwanda to seek parity among its representatives, but the election confirmed the public's performance-tested approval of women in government.
Our country will never adopt quotas, and we are certainly not looking for a humanitarian or other disaster to encourage wide-scale support of women in leadership. What we do need is greater support for our nation's women, who are out there in local municipalities, vying for seats on city councils, school boards and state legislatures, striving for the chance to make their communities a better place.
On a recent weekend, I met more than 100 of these women. A diverse group of aspiring leaders came together for a weekend-long, nonpartisan training to learn the nuts-and-bolts of running for political office. They were West Point cadets and Teach for America fellows; campaign staffers and legislative aides; corporate executives and small business owners. Nearly half of the women identified as women of color; roughly one quarter earned less than $30,000 per year; and more than 60 percent were younger than 35.
They were passionate, dedicated, and eager to serve. They represented the visions and voices of our nation - and will be the key to building a truly representational democracy.
Seeing serious women contenders high up in national politics shows other women that there's a place for their own ambitions, and 2008 has been tremendous in terms of the visibility accorded to women in politics. Yet in this historic year, we must remember that the success of women in politics is not secured solely through victories on the national stage. Real gender parity can only be achieved from the bottom-up and the top-down, with everyday women taking the lead and running for office. That's where the political pipeline begins.
A look at the economic headlines points to our dire need for new leadership, with its accompanying fresh perspectives and novel ideas. For decades, women have been creating innovative solutions in some the most vital areas of American life: from microenterprise to living wage campaigns, women have lobbied and created organizations to lift families out of poverty. Yet they've never been in the seats of power to make their innovations benefit large segments of the population.
After a decade of women leading alongside men in equal numbers, Rwanda is now the fastest reforming economy in the region. That nation has demonstrated that economic strength goes hand-in-hand with women's political leadership. As Wall Street continues its roller-coaster ride, perhaps the remedy is the one solution we haven't tried - adding women to the leadership mix.