And yes, I’ve written about this before –  and you can read my previous blog posts here, and here.)

Suffragettes (Library of Congress)

But this year, I’ve really felt that the Women’s Movement is shifting.  From the Women’s March to #InternationalWomensDay – women are standing up and being counted.  We’ve marched, written songs, run for office, and made our voices heard.  You might not agree with all that’s going on, but I have to give credit to all of the women that are no longer sitting back and watching from afar.  We have some amazingly powerful women in this area – whether they are on boards or commissions as volunteers, in elected roles, at the board table or the PTA – they help to make our towns, cities and counties the best that they can be. 

Mother and daughter at the Women’s March in DC

Marginalized, Misogyny and Sexism

You might be thinking that this movement isn’t necessary.  Maybe you work in a company that is committed to equity, or maybe you feel that you just don’t see the need.  I’m here to tell you that we still feel marginalized.  Why?  Well, because sexual harassment, inequality and inequity still happens everyday.

Misogyny, often described as the hatred of women has been in the news quite a bit over the last few months.  In fact, it’s one of the TOP 1% of definition look ups on Merriam-Webster online.

You may have even seen this video – of a Polish member of the European Parliament who believes that ‘Women must earn less than men, because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent.  “ All while discussing the gender pay gap.

And then recently, we saw reports of a veteran’s allegations that military personnel were using social media to share and distribute nude photos and the names of some of them and of female colleagues and other women, as part of a network that promotes sexual violence.  This is sexual harassment, plain and simple.  I was impressed with Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) taking the military to task for being aware of the problem, yet not acting for so long.

The Stats – We have a ways to go

– 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime  (United Nations)

– The wage gap still exists – women who worked full-time, year round, on average earned 79% of men’s median annual earnings, and annual pay for women now equals men’s salaries, 10 years ago.

– Almost 57% of U.S. workers are women. (US Dept of Labor)

– 70% of mothers with children under 18 participate in the labor force, with over 75% employed full-time.

•  – Mothers are the primary or sole earners for 40% of households with children under 18 today, compared with 11% in 1960.

– Among firms in the S&P 500, a stock market index of large U.S. companies, only 6% of CEOs are women. (Forbes)

– Male CEOs make about 22% more than women CEOs (Forbes)

What can we do?

First, we need to educate ourselves and our community.  Being ill informed of the issues, or turning our backs on the sexism and misogyny will not address the problem.

In honor of Women’s History Month – the Town of Cary, along with the National Foundation for Women Legislators, will be showing the documentary, “Miss Representation.”

“Written, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Miss Representation is a documentary film that exposes how mainstream media and culture contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film advocates that we all use our voice, eyeballs, and wallets to build a society that better represents us all.”

Miss Representation first premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival and made its television debut as part of the OWN documentary film club in October 2011, with over 1.4 million people tuning in.

This documentary studies the obstacles women face in the media and the stereotypes that still define them. It features interviews with noted figures in politics (Nancy Pelosi and Condoleeza Rice), broadcast news (Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow), television (Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling) and movies (Geena Davis, Rosario Dawson and Jane Fonda.)

So, come out to see the Miss Representation at the Cary Theater – FOR FREE!

Mark your calendars!

Wednesday – March 29th, 7pm

Join us and bring your friends, sisters, daughters and others to see this documentary.  Bring your girl scout troupe, or your students – it’s an informative film.

Let’s talk.

I DO think we have made progress.  Movies like “Miss Representation” and “Hidden Figures” have helped to illuminate some of our societal problems, while also offering up a space for discussion.  I’m a firm believer that this continual light that we shine on these issues help – the next step is action.  (By the way, if you haven’t seen “Hidden Figures” – GO! It’s great!)

– We need more women to stand up and call out these behaviors.

– We need women to continually climb the corporate ladders.

– We need more women to run for office.

– And we need women to support other women.

Because, as Madeleine Albright has famously said for years…

See ya at the movie…

In case you didn’t know it, March is Women’s History Month – a time to recognize the important contributions that women have made to us all; to pay tribute, and to also understand the sacrifices that many have, and continue to make, on our behalf.

The Town of Cary, along with the National Foundation for Women Legislators will show the movie “Iron Jawed Angels” starring Hilary Swank, Anjelica Huston, Patrick Dempsey, and many more. … all to celebrate Women’s History Month.

This film follows the women’s suffrage leaders Alice Paul and Lucy Burns in their struggle for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. After the showing of this award winning movie, a panel of female elected officials will be on hand to answer questions from the audience, and share their unique experiences.

Confirmed panelists:

•  – Elaine Marshall – NC Secretary of State
•  – Jessica Holmes – Wake County Commissioner
•  – Jennifer Robinson – Town of Cary Councilmember, District A
• (and me)

Why focus on Women now?

In the last year, we have seen a number of news stories that highlight the continuing disparity between women and men in the workforce and in public service.

A recent report, called “The Status of Women in North Carolina Politics” finds “that when women seek and serve in political office – elected or appointed – they are as successful as their male counterparts. Yet women remain severely underrepresented in North Carolina political offices.

The report goes on to highlight that although women make up over 54% of the registered voters in the state, they hold less than 25% of all appointed and elected offices.

•   27% of all elected officeholders in the state are women, while women are 51.3% of the state’s population
•  Out of the 100 counties in NC, in 44 of them, there are no female county commissioners.
• NC is not unique, in the US senate, it’s 20% women, 19.3% in the US House, 10% of governors, and 13% of Mayors of the 100 largest cities. And the numbers are even more strikingly bad for women of color and women in rural communities (6.2% are women of color, and 5.3% of state leg.)

Not just an issue in Public Service

It’s not just a phenomena in Public Service.  Women are underrepresented and discriminated against in Silicon Valley, where a recent Newsweek article points out that women are less likely to receive funding for their ideas, and many of the misogynitic ways of the old boys club still endure.

•  Venture Captalist typically fund women at the lowest levels, $100,000
•  Non of the TOP FIVE VCs have a single female senior partner
•  Only 14.2% of the top 5 leadership positions of companies in the S&P 500 are held by women.
•  4.6% of the CEO in the S&P are women
• Women earn 78% of what males earn in 2015 (up from 62% in 1979)
•  There are no US holidays named after women, no women on US paper currency, and fewer than  25% of US postage stamps honoring people feature women.

From Catalyst 2015, McKinsey & Co – Women Matter

None of this is surprising, but what is notable is that finally we are seeing more focus on bringing these numbers to light, but also  bringing them to the forefront.  Patricia Arquette did a phenomenal job calling out the inequities  as she picked up her Oscar and said, “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all.”

Patricia Arquette at the Oscars

There IS Good News, Though

Research shows that the main reason so few women are in appointed or elected office is not necessarily overt discrimination – but that so few women actually seek these offices. There are many reasons for this, whether it’s lack of belief in their ability, concern of the toll it might take on their family, or lack of perceived experience.  However, when they DO run, THEY WIN.   From the report mentioned above, 25% of the candidates across North Carolina on the ballot were women, but 63% of these candidates won their races.

Women are underrepresented in government, this is clear. And if a representative democracy should look like it’s population, we have a while to go before we get there.

And here’s how and why….

1. We need to get young women involved early. Having them  aware of their impact and the important voice they have in the process of democracy is crucial.

2. Women are role models for other women. They are an inspiration, mentors, and confidants, and they want to help – just reach out and ask.

3. Women have a valueable voice to provide – they can offer a fresh perspective and a different approach to seemingly intransient problem Studies show that when you have a diverse group of people attacking a problem, you can find new ways and solutions than you would ever have considered before.

4. Women are a majority – a voting and buying block that can’t be ignored. Women spend 58% of online retail dollars, they make 80% of the Health Care decisions, and 85% guide and/or make purchase decisions in their household.

Data from Time and Digital Sherpa.

What’s Next? 

So, where do we go from here? Well, it’s time to have this important conversation where-ever and when ever we can.

I’m glad to see more women involved in Public Service at the local level, and girls and young ladies taking on careers that used to be thought of as “male only.” We need to continue to support programs for Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), such as the National Girls Collaborative Project.

We can all learn more about the important contributions women have made – and, you guessed it, there’s an app for that!  Using Google’s Field Trip App,

Google’s Field Trip App

If you haven’t used this app, check it out! When you are logged into Field Trip and switch on the SPARK: Women on the Map history notifications, you will receive an alert when you are near a place where a woman made history, and then you can read more about her and her accomplishments.

And finally – we need to get young women involved by inviting them to apply and be appointed for local boards and commissions, and finding new ways to encourage women to run for office, start businesses and spread their wings.

And sometimes, taking them to a movie about the Women’s Suffrage movement, and showing them the strong shoulders that we all stand on, is a great place to start.

Hope to see you at the movie!

Women’s Suffrage (from the Library of Congress)

March is International Women’s History Month

From the National Archives

March is Women’s History Month – and it’s a great opportunity for us to recognize the incredible contributions that women of every race, class and ethnic background have made and continue to make, to our country and our town.

March 3rd marked 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington. It was 1946 was when Eliza Jane Pratt was the first female to represent North Carolina in the US Congress and in 2009 – Bev Perdue became the NC’s first female governor. We’ve made progress.

19th Amendment (National Archives)

But, when the 19th Amendment came before the North Carolina legislature in August 1920, it wasn’t the first time we had considered allowing women to vote. In February 1897, J.L. Hyatt, a NC State Senator, introduced a bill for women’s suffrage. The bill died after it was referred to the committee on insane asylums.

Unfortunately, North Carolina didn’t have an active hand in the passage of this amendment. It seems like the folks in charge didn’t support women having the right to vote. In fact, NC didn’t ratify the 19th amendment until 1971, more than fifty years after it became law. (We tabled the bill in the state senate back in 1920) The only state to wait longer was Mississippi, which ratified it in 1984.

Here in the Town, we have women in all types of roles – our Town Clerk, and Town Attorney, our Police Chief, and of course, here at the council table, just to name a few. And, in fact, it wasn’t that long ago that the Town of Cary made history in NC – when we had a FEMALE MAJORITY on the Town Council, something not seen in any other Town in NC.

In Cary – about 21% of our town employees are women, and that compares to many of our respective cities, like Apex (20%), Charlotte, (24%), Winston-Salem (24%) …with a larger number of ours being in Leadership roles at the town… (about 24%) , compared to Apex (14%), Charlotte (19%), – and then there is Winston Salem (at a whopping 28%) 

Our Stats

There’s a lot you don’t know about women:

• There are more women than men in the US (50.8%) – 157 million

• More women are attending college, and getting degrees then men (close to 60%)

• More women vote, then men .

• 58% of women over 16 are participating in the workforce

• Women make or influence 85% of all purchasing decisions

• Women make 80% of healthcare decisions and 68 %of new car purchase decisions

However – we have work to do:

• Proportion of women in State Legislatures across the country is 24%

• Women hold 18% of seats in the US Congress

• Women hold less than 10% of the seats in the NC State Senate, and 18% in the State House.

• Unfortunately – Every 15 seconds a woman is battered.

• Women Still Earned 77 Cents On Men’s Dollar In 2012:

 Leading Change 

Today – women are running Yahoo and and GM. They are leading change and leaning in, and running for president. But let’s not forget, these are the exceptions. Our jobs, as leaders in our community, is to ensure this becomes the norm, and not just for women, but for all people, in all our fabulous diversity. We are richer, emotionally, financially, and culturally, when we work together, in all our differences and commonalities.

Lets’ make Cary the showcase of what’s possible when we are all in this together, a community that knows how much more we can be when we all are joined together.

__________________________________________________________

 Featured photo from the Maryland Historical Society Archives