"Queenmakers": Giving Women a Fair Chance
The first step to winning an election is having the backing of key political players. Political players that determine elections can be an array of key groups and individuals who collectively can be called “kingmakers” – whether that be a speaker of the house trying to preserve a legislative majority or business leaders identifying candidates to back in primaries.
Today men are more likely to be encouraged to run for office by these kingmakers. One study found that men were 25% of more likely to be encouraged to run for office by a political actor than women of similar professional backgrounds. Additionally, men are more likely to run for office without any encouragement. In a 2008 survey of 1,268 state legislators, 43% of male respondents admitted that is was entirely their own idea to run for office, while only 26% of women reported the same. That is why the work of training and recruitment organizations are so crucial to increasing the number of women running for office.
But recruiting candidates is not enough if they don’t get support from our political kingmakers. It’s time to start holding them accountable and make sure that women candidates get a fair chance. It’s time for more queenmakers.
Today men are more likely to be encouraged to run for office by these kingmakers. One study found that men were 25% of more likely to be encouraged to run for office by a political actor than women of similar professional backgrounds. Additionally, men are more likely to run for office without any encouragement. In a 2008 survey of 1,268 state legislators, 43% of male respondents admitted that is was entirely their own idea to run for office, while only 26% of women reported the same. That is why the work of training and recruitment organizations are so crucial to increasing the number of women running for office.
But recruiting candidates is not enough if they don’t get support from our political kingmakers. It’s time to start holding them accountable and make sure that women candidates get a fair chance. It’s time for more queenmakers.
What Can Parties Do?
Political parties are not as powerful as they used to be, but nearly every candidate elected to state or federal office has been nominated by either the Democratic or Republican Party. The major parties – along with minor parties – should be held accountable for their support for women candidates.
Political parties in many states and localities play a significant role in the recruitment, financing, and election of candidates. If parties do not recruit and support women at the same rate as men (and at this point, most do not), women are unlikely to achieve equal representation in elected office.
Political parties in many states and localities play a significant role in the recruitment, financing, and election of candidates. If parties do not recruit and support women at the same rate as men (and at this point, most do not), women are unlikely to achieve equal representation in elected office.
Dialogue Among Party Members
At least twice a year, statewide party leaders should meet with two or more statewide organizations that train and recruit women for elective office to discuss strategies to recruit more female candidates. This is meant to stimulate discussion among party leaders about the state of women's representation and to brainstorm ways that they can work to improve it. |
Internal Accountability
Statewide party leadership should prepare an annual report on: the state of gender parity in its own leadership, in its elected representatives and in political appointments made elected representatives; the number of female candidates, nominees, and general election winners in the most recent election; and its plans to recruit women for upcoming elections. Statewide party leadership will present this report to the national party. |
Incentives to Increase Recruitment
The fastest way for political parties to increase women’s representation is to adopt measures that would incentivize the recruitment of more women candidates. State and local parties would set goals, based on the current state of women’s representation in their area, for how many women they hope to recruit each election cycle. Under the system we propose, local and state parties would set goals for how many women they would recruit to run in their primary elections, and especially in primary elections for positions in which a nominee from the party would have a good chance of winning in the general election. That way, women who are recruited and win their parties’ nominations will also be likely to enter office. National political parties would award “Gender Parity Grants,” financed by donations from party members who care about increasing the number of women in elected office, to the state and local parties that met their goals. |
This reform is inspired by the widespread use of party gender quotas in national legislatures or in party nominations abroad. Currently about 110 countries use some form of gender quota, be they constitutional, legislated, or voluntarily implemented by political parties. More specifically, over 100 political parties in 50 countries have instituted party gender quotas, which set goals for how many women the party aims to nominate for each election.
An important benefit of this system is that unlike strict gender quotas, it does not preclude any qualified men from running in a particular district if they are so inclined: as long as they are able to defeat the recruited woman candidate, they will be on their way to political office. Additionally, national and local parties will be able to negotiate expectations for how many women will be recruited to run, and especially how many will be recruited to run in winnable districts based on the current electoral realities the local parties are facing.
An important benefit of this system is that unlike strict gender quotas, it does not preclude any qualified men from running in a particular district if they are so inclined: as long as they are able to defeat the recruited woman candidate, they will be on their way to political office. Additionally, national and local parties will be able to negotiate expectations for how many women will be recruited to run, and especially how many will be recruited to run in winnable districts based on the current electoral realities the local parties are facing.
What Can PACs Do?
Political Action Committees (PACs) and other organizations that endorse candidates fulfill the role often carried out by political parties in other nations – that is, they play decisive roles in recruiting, endorsing and funding candidates. With the power such groups have to mobilize support for candidates, it’s time to demand more from them in the drive to secure parity for women in elected office.
Members of PACs and endorsing groups, especially those with member-driven priorities, from the Sierra Club to organized labor, the faith community and the Chamber of Commerce, can start a movement to establish rules that set targets for intentional action in endorsements and political giving. While women-oriented PACs like EMILY’s List, the Women’s Campaign Fund, and The WISH List already are committed to supporting female candidates only, other PACs should intentionally and deliberately commit to contributing a certain share of their funds to female candidates. These targets, like voluntary party quotas, would not be mandated by the government, but instead adopted on a PAC-by-PAC basis. We would suggest donation quotas of at least half, but any minimum would be an improvement from what we have today. Some PACs might in fact set an even higher target for donations to women candidates in order to correct the gender imbalance in giving and in elected office.
PACs should be encouraged to discuss and propose targets for their giving for all levels of elected office. With public attention, parity funding of male and female candidates may develop into a comparative advantage for PACs, which operate in a competitive environment and are always on the lookout for new ways to appeal to donors.
Members of PACs and endorsing groups, especially those with member-driven priorities, from the Sierra Club to organized labor, the faith community and the Chamber of Commerce, can start a movement to establish rules that set targets for intentional action in endorsements and political giving. While women-oriented PACs like EMILY’s List, the Women’s Campaign Fund, and The WISH List already are committed to supporting female candidates only, other PACs should intentionally and deliberately commit to contributing a certain share of their funds to female candidates. These targets, like voluntary party quotas, would not be mandated by the government, but instead adopted on a PAC-by-PAC basis. We would suggest donation quotas of at least half, but any minimum would be an improvement from what we have today. Some PACs might in fact set an even higher target for donations to women candidates in order to correct the gender imbalance in giving and in elected office.
PACs should be encouraged to discuss and propose targets for their giving for all levels of elected office. With public attention, parity funding of male and female candidates may develop into a comparative advantage for PACs, which operate in a competitive environment and are always on the lookout for new ways to appeal to donors.