Palin's Departure Cuts Governors Who Are Women Down to Six

Only Six Women Governors Remain

Back in the day when I was campaigning for Liz Holtzman or Bella Abzug for their various offices, it seemed impossible that there might be a day when there were more than several governors who were women. Sarah Palin's strange and abrupt departure from her Alaska governorship now reduces women's leadership to only 6 women in that leadership role. Irrespective of her politics, which I reject and her seeming emotional instability--this is another example of--her leaving her governorship is a blow to women's leadership. As more and more of pop culture demonizes or mocks older women and slutifies young women--casting them only in sex saturated roles and identities, the potential for women in leadership roles in politics diminishes. So for that reason, and that reason only, I regret her leaving her post. While not the best role model out there for young women, she was some kind of leadership role model.

What WomenCount Says About Palin

 Stacy Mason, ED of WomenCount says

“When it comes to Sarah Palin, we’re damned if we do and we’re damned if we don’t.  WomenCount is a non-partisan, progressive organization that got its start during the Hillary Clinton campaign. So it’s no surprise that we don’t share Sarah Palin’s policy agenda or politics.

 

 But when we defended her during the campaign when she was the victim of gender bias because it was the right thing to do, we were attacked. When we criticized her on issues of policy and didn’t back her as some had hoped simply because she is a woman, we were attacked. When we were just silent and neither defended nor criticized her, we were attacked.

 
We can take the heat, and we did. But it all misses the point: If we had more women in office in the first place, Sarah Palin wouldn’t be the symbol that she is for women in politics.

Frankly, I am tired of hearing that Palin sets women back, that she has disappointed us, embarrassed us, and the worst, that she reflects badly on all women. Not because it’s not true, because I am afraid it is, but because it shouldn’t be. When a man in politics makes a misstep or a bad decision, does it reflect on all men? Ha.

Our colleague Meghan Harvey has reminded us often in this space that women governors are dropping like flies. With Palin’s resignation we’re down to six women governors around the country. That’s it, six out of fifty.

 This disproportionate representation, like the 17 percent of Congress and the 24 percent of state legislators, means those women carry a heavier burden to speak for us, to fight for us, to promote issues that we hold dear. The flip side is that when they don’t, when those women let us down, it damages us even more. 

Sarah Palin does not speak for us, and she is not speaking for all women.

But until there are more women in office and running for office, the impact of her actions on all women will be magnified to a degree that is disproportionate to what it should be. That’s not fair to her or to us.

So the lesson of her abrupt and unexpected departure  and the fallout from it  is simple: We need more women in office. So run for office. Vote for women who run. Support women who run. Another way to help: Support WomenCount’s work to promote women in politics.” [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?WomenCount/0bf1cde067/3a55468887/d05457227d]

 

 And read our other blog posts about Palin. Comment and add your voice

 to the dialogue!

 [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?WomenCount/0bf1cde067/3a55468887/fa97be4674]

 

 

Comments

[Rita@Goldivas]

Very good points here. Years ago, I worked for a supervisor who was "difficult" at times, and I would cringe when people in the office (both men and women) would make comments to the effect that that's what happens when you give a woman some power! As you say, no one would make that comment about a man.