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The latest report from Alverno College’s Research Center for Women and Girls (RCWG) is out. Wisconsin Women in Public Life – Elected Officials sheds some light on women in public office, the different paths they took to achieve success, and the challenges they overcame while running for office and becoming elected officials.
In the fall of 2020, the RCWG surveyed 98 women who hold public office in Wisconsin in partnership with St. Norbert College’s Institute for Strategic Studies. Findings from the nonpartisan survey include:
- Most women who run for office do so if the opportunity is presented to them by someone else or if they feel competent to handle the responsibilities that come with public office.
- Participants reported considerable experience with gender issues in their campaigns, although the experience was by no means universal, and reports of specific concerns varied both by the age of elected officials and their years of elected office.
- Support networks were reported as one of the main resources needed when running for public office, whether it was support from other women, other candidates, elected officials, or their political party.
The findings were then used to develop questions asked during in-depth interviews conducted in 2021 with some of the respondents. Findings from the qualitative interviews included:
- A third of respondents reported concerns and experiences with gender bias.
- A quarter of those interviewed reported feeling like they were sacrificing “personal safety” by running for office.
- Despite the challenges, women typically cite their own personal values—including diversity, honesty, humility, and service—as their inspiration to persevere.
- Creating channels for women to become elected officials was identified as an important need. These channels should include formal networks, training and mentoring.
Based on the findings of the survey, the report also offers suggestions for empowering women to run for public office. They include:
- Fostering political ambition at an early age
- Increasing awareness of opportunities in community life, including volunteering in the community
- Sustaining political ambitions for women
- Confronting sexism that can undermine a girl or woman’s confidence in her ability to serve in public office
- Improving inclusion
“I hope this report makes it clear that we cannot take democracy for granted; democracy underpins the well-being of all communities, and women’s voices are vital to that well-being,” said Dr. Lindsey Harness, director of Alverno College’s Center for Research on Women and Girls. “We will all have to work to ‘build the bench’ to ensure that all women are equally represented in political office. Without a diversity of voices, our democracy suffers and will continue to suffer. For this reason, the RCWG strives to listen to and amplify the voices of women and girls, especially those who may face marginalization beyond their gender. The RCWG therefore hopes that this report will be taken as a call to action.”
The full one Wisconsin Women in Public Life ― Elected officials the report can be found at www.alverno.edu/Research. The project is sponsored by the Wisconsin State Council for Women and the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee.
The Women and Girls Research Center at Alverno College is a center dedicated to conducting research that is applied in the real world, where it can inspire, transform and support initiatives that improve the lives of women and girls in Wisconsin and beyond. The center also partners with community agencies to foster discussions on important issues and identify emerging research topics that can change women’s lives.
About Alverno College
Founded in 1887 by the School Sisters of St. Francis, Alverno College fosters the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Bachelor’s programs for women are offered in more than 60 fields of study, and master’s programs in education, nursing, community psychology, school psychology, music therapy, music and liturgy, and business are open to women and men.
A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has won international recognition for its highly effective competency-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education that emphasizes hands-on experience and develops requisite skills. The college, the first Hispanic-serving institution in Wisconsin, ranks among the best schools in the Midwest for its commitment to undergraduate education and innovation from US News and World Report. In two years, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education named Alverno the most inspiring college in the country.
Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Alverno College is a four-year, independent, Catholic liberal arts college.
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