Frustration over lag in female politicians

The sex texting scandal that forced Rep. Anthony Weiner out of Congress last week capped a remarkable season of dishonor for male politicians -- from former presidential candidate John Edwards' indictment on federal campaign finance charges related to hiding a mistress to former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's admission he'd fathered a child with the family maid.

For advocates of women in politics, such sexual shenanigans raise two questions: Why don't women lawmakers fall prey to such temptation? And if more women were elected to office, would political sex scandals disappear? It's the latest source of frustration for activists concerned about the lack of progress for women in politics, even as they've begun to outpace men in fields like academia, medicine and law.

But even as voters warm to women's style of leadership, the number of women running for and winning public office has slowed after four decades of gradual gains.

The number of women in Congress has plateaued since 2007, with just 17 women in the 100-member Senate and 72 in the 435-member House. In state legislatures nationwide, 1,738 lawmakers are women, compared with 1,809 last year, and the percentage of women holding statewide office has fallen from 27.6 percent in 2001 to 21.9 percent today. Just six states have women governors.

Recruiting women to run for office has become a top priority for New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who hosted a panel discussion earlier this month titled "Getting Women Off the Sidelines" to encourage more women to participate in politics.

Gillibrand said she was alarmed by the lack of progress for women in politics and has drawn attention -- and complaint from some activists -- by declaring "the women's movement has stalled." Women need to be in positions of power to bring about real change, she said.