

















 | Equal Representation: What It Takes 
A record 34 women ran for governor in the primaries of 19 states in 2002, but men ran in all 36 gubernatorial elections. In order for women to achieve equal representation, women must run in almost every race. But that is not enough. More than 90% of the incumbents in the US Congress, that run for reelection, win. The political process must be monitored to identify open seats and to open up more seats to challengers. But even when a woman seeks office, the political parties can be a barrier. Therefore, changes are needed to hold the political parties accountable for broadening the candidates they support to include more women. Finally, after getting on the ballot, women must win the election. At a minimum, this means getting their message to public. It may also mean changing the public perception of women and power. |