This International Women’s Day at Agate, we’re looking to the future of our country with the help of Rebecca Sive’s Vote Her In: Your Guide to Electing Our First Woman President.
Vote Her In is organized around the inspirational messages seen on protest signs carried at the record-breaking 2017 Chicago Women’s March. Part One outlines the case for—and the research behind—why we need to start mobilizing now to elect a woman president in 2020, and Part Two provides a clear strategy for how we can all come together to get it done. Each chapter in Part Two includes an action plan that women can complete to help each other (or themselves) attain political power and work toward electing our first woman president.
Even after a historic 2018 midterm election with a record number of women elected to Congress, women are still wildly underrepresented at every level of US government: federal, state, and local. Research has shown that women in executive government positions are far more likely than men to commit to policies that benefit women, girls, and other marginalized groups. So, after centuries of marginalization, it’s clear: our best bet for creating a system that is more fair, balanced, and just for everyone is electing our first Madam President—as soon as we can.
In that spirit, here are seven research-proven ways in which women excel, in government and beyond:
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Getting things done
Women legislators bring back more programs and spending to their own districts than men do. Minority-party women are also better at keeping their bills alive in adverse environments.
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Decision-making and bipartisan collaboration
Women demonstrate strong political leadership by being more likely to work across party lines, even in the most challenging environments.
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Introducing legislation on civil rights, health, and education
Women are more likely than men to request spending for projects promoting women’s health and combating violence against women.. Women also increasingly focus on gender equality issues (i.e., pensions, gender equality laws, and parental leave and childcare) and introduce bills advancing healthcare, education, and civil rights.
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Communication with constituents
Women legislators send 17% more mail pieces to their constituents and station on average 3.5 more staff members in their home districts than men do. Women in Congress more closely represent their home district’s needs and interests and are more likely to take committee assignments that reflect district needs than men are.
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Following through
When women in government make promises to their constituencies, they follow through. Women not only introduce more bills related to policy areas important to their home districts but are also more likely to vote in ways that reflect their constituents’ needs.
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Making and keeping peace
When women participate in international peace discussions or delegations between warring parties, the likelihood of peace lasting past two years increases by 20%.
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Leading and management styles
Women care more about inspiring their supporters, and do so by engaging with them and helping to stimulate new ways of thinking within their base. Through the current theory of transformational leadership, experts suggest that women leaders will dominate, as they’re better suited to 21st century management styles.
Read more about the benefits of women in charge in Rebecca Sive’s Vote Her In. Today only, we are offering this invigorating guide to help inspire your actions this International Women’s Day for FREE! Enter code IWD2019 at checkout on our website (agatepublishing.com/vote) to get a free download of the ebook, and check out our Instagram (@agatepublishing) and Twitter (@AgatePublishing) for a giveaway of a print copy of Vote Her In.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Additional Sources:
http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures