Political gender gap thrives here

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10:59 AM Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Perhaps the readers who constantly complain about the “good old boys club” do know what they’re talking about in Butler County.

One fact that we’ve noticed again this election year is that too few women are seeking political office in local races for town council, school boards and boards of township trustees. Nearly half of the races in Butler County do not feature a female candidate; and in races that do contain at least one female candidate, she’s usually outnumbered by the number of male candidates seeking the office.

In Middletown, the makeup of City Council will become more male after the Nov. 3 election. Second Ward council representative Leslie Ford is not running for re-election, and the candidates vying to replace her are both men. In fact, in Middletown’s other three ward races, all the candidates are also men.

In Hamilton, Z. Ann Rowe is the sole woman — in a field of eight candidates — seeking election to City Council, as Kathy Becker steps down. Meanwhile, council member Carla Fiehrer is running against three men for the mayor’s seat being vacated by Don Ryan.

In Monroe — where City Council actually includes three women — incumbent Anna Hale is running to retain her seat in a field that includes four men.

In Fairfield, men dominate the city races for mayor and council, while Sharon Ko is the lone woman running for Fairfield school board against five men. In Fairfield Twp., Shannon Hartkemeyer is running against six men for two seats on the board of township trustees.

Trenton is the rare exception to the rule here — with a seven-member council that includes a female mayor and four female council members — but its council will become more male after the Nov. 3 election. Council member Sandy McDonell is not running for re-election, and the field of hopefuls includes incumbent Jenni Combs and four men.

The gender gap in political power — which plagues many of the world’s nations — is obviously alive and well here, too. The United States ranks 69th in the world for the number of women holding political positions.

Although most women in the United States may not be overtly subjected to the discrimination and abuse that women in less-developed nations often endure, the glass ceiling is still very much in place here — even though national politicians like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Sarah Palin have caused small cracks to appear.

Even still, women only make up 17 percent — and that’s a record number — of the membership in the 111th U.S. Congress.

That half of our population is so poorly represented in politics and governance continues to be part of a national legacy that must change in future years in order to ensure effective and representative government. And what better place to start than at the local levels of government?

It may be too late for new candidates to enter the local races this year, but now is a good time to think about how we can close the gender gap in future elections. We firmly believe that government — at all levels — will be stronger and more helpful when the “good old boys clubs” of the past have been replaced by officeholders whose faces reflect all the constituents they serve.

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