Wednesday, February 08, 2006

U.S. Government: Where are the Women?

I can't help but post this recent story by a friend too. Caitlin Johnson wrote a great story for ABC about America's gender politics and Hillary's uphill battle for president. She interviewed Pat Schroeder, Carol Moseley Braun and Geraldine Ferraro, and really did her homework.

For instance, did you know that according to the Inter-parliamentary Union, the United States ranks 67th in female representation in government? According to Moseley Braun, we are behind Rwanda, Sierra Leone and all of Latin America. I had no idea we were so low down and dirty. Why is the national mindset so set against women leaders? Or are there simply far fewer women than men running for office? I'm sure the nuanced reason for the disparity includes our patriarchal past, some male voters' distate for strong women, and the fact that people can't picture an American president fixing her lipstick.

I bet if Hillary were elected, we'd see Reuters and AP photos of her primping before big talks. But to see a male president put on makeup, you have to watch a Michael Moore movie like Fahrenheit 9/11.

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