Built for the race

So recently I was speaking with a friend about women in politics or, rather, the lack of women in politics. Actually she did most of the talking and I was making notes with an “uh huh” and “you bet” here and there. I was really listening, by the way.

Like a lot of folks, she’s noticed the distinct lack of women involved in politics, especially municipal politics. She’s right, you know. While women represent over 50 per cent of the world’s population, and likely the same percentage applies to this municipality, there is a noticeable lack of female representation in the municipal arena.

While my friend was briefly outlining her great idea (and she’s got a good idea) as regards W.I.P, I couldn’t help thinking of the old saying, “Behind every successful man is……”A surprised woman or not, behind truly successful people—especially politicians, is a person who holds the fort, someone who picks up the dry cleaning and fields the phone calls at home.

The person behind the politician—is usually the same person who makes sure there’s food in the fridge and clean linens on the bed and makes sure the garbage goes out and the recycling gets sorted. Yup, behind each successful politician is a person who takes care of the underpinnings. Usually it’s a woman, as the saying goes, and if you asked, she’d probably say she just doesn’t have time for one more job in her life. But this is all beside the point my friend was making.

Statistically speaking, women should be more suitable than men when it comes to politics. We all know women live longer than men. Women’s longevity could be due to the fact women don’t smoke as much as men and don’t imbibe as much as men. When it comes to stress, well, women handle stress better. Women even tolerate pain better than men. Women are built for the pain and stress of politics but choose to stay out of the fray.

Maybe they’re just too busy. The reality is, in local politics, women hold fewer than 25 per cent of the seats in most municipalities. If a woman considers running for election, you can bet her motivation might be a little bit different than a man’s.

Generally speaking, women aren’t motivated by the euphoria brought on by power and public recognition. Women usually enter municipal politics to address local issues such as affordable housing; accessible public transportation; public safety; community building and improving the environment. Many women “see things differently”; their input could broaden the perspective when it comes to municipal issues.

Martha Hall Findlay made a good point for more women in politics in the U of T Magazine: “Women need to be equally represented, quite simply, because women are equally affected— and by being there, women will get decisions that better reflect the needs of all society, not just half.”

Hey, maybe women just need a better support system in place to help them get into politics. I say, “Stay tuned!”

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca