Panel members speak with participants at the Elect Her conference. Approximately 50 participants attended the conference on Saturday in the Union family room.
This Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Elect Her conference put on by ASUW. There were about 50 people in attendance, mostly women, and there was a take home message being that women can run and win. Yes, campaigning is scary and there will be people who call you mean names but you can go out there and do it.
It is sad that in the year 2013 women are still vastly underrepresented in both the national and state levels of government and Wyoming has one of the lowest percentages of women in the state legislature. It is also the worst state in the nation when it comes to men and women making equal pay for equal work. The conference was a time for women leaders from around campus to join together and in a few cases place a face with a name.
It was nice to interact with some of the ASUW senators on a personal level. The conference and the talks were non-partisan and had the message of networking and going out and having your voice heard.
The conference discussed the lack of women in politics. There have been studies that say that women need to be asked, and asked before they decide to run. There is some evidence that women need to be asked more often than men, but when women do run they win just as often as men do.
For many women, a career can mean sacrificing her family. Sometimes the biggest opponents to women in politics can be other women. We should be encouraging each other to be the best we can be, but sadly some of our girlfriends can do the most lasting damage. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies when we need to agree to disagree.
Speaker and State Representative Cathy Connolly put many fears to rest. She told us that the secret to success is hard work and while you may never feel ready, no one goes in knowing all the answers. Sometimes its ok to cry or walk out and there is a place for emotion in politics. As a matter of fact, sometimes emotion and having a personal connection can make for a better leader.
Hopefully some day in the near future conferences like Elect Her and the Vagina Monologues will no longer be needed. But until gender equality becomes more than an idea, women will have to actively fight to have their voices heard.
