News
Category: News
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May 7, 2012
Hillary Clinton wants female US president, but insists it will not be her
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday she wanted to see a female US president during her lifetime -- but insisted she was ready to "get off the high wire" of top-level politics. "I think we have to keep trying till [the] final glass ceiling be broken," she said. -
April 30, 2012
Women in Buckhead salute their own
Movie star Geena Davis, who played the first female U.S. president on the 2005-06 television series "Commander in Chief," urged 750 presidents of multi-million dollar companies Thursday afternoon to make Atlanta the jumping-off point for electing more female politicians. "If women are added at the current rate, we will achieve parity in 500 years. I say that’s too slow," she deadpanned to appreciative laughter at the during the New York-based Women Presidents Organization’s annual ... -
April 24, 2012
Women Politicians Inspiring Others to Lead
Amid high heels hung from the ceiling in decoration, the night awarded two successful women. But the one who walked away with the most may have been sitting at a corner table, watching it all. -
April 13, 2012
Can a new program get more women on the ballot in 2012?
Former Republican Congresswoman Connie Morella and Maryland Secretary of Aging Gloria Lawlah are trying to get more women elected into public office by promoting a new program called The 2012 Project. Add link here in the text - the2012project.us -
April 5, 2012
S.C. women: 2012 is our year for political success
Since the 1990s, the number of South Carolina women in the Legislature has never topped 22, according to the Center for American Women in Politics. South Carolina is particularly interesting because the state has a woman governor yet very few women elected officials... this year, however, the center and the Southeastern Institute of Women in Politics say research shows that women may have a better chance of getting elected. -
March 28, 2012
We Appreciate You!
We're always working to encourage more women to run for office, offering training to those who are running, and informing the public about campaigns...but we don't spend enough time thanking and encouraging the women who are currently elected to office. We'd like to take this opportunity to say "Thank You!" to all women who serve as elected or appointed officials and encourage them to keep "Fighting the Good Fight." -
March 25, 2012
What Gender Gap? Washington State Has a History of Women Who Lead
Nationwide, women’s groups point out the glaring gender disparity in public life, noting that there are only 6 female governors and 17 female senators. Across the country, women make up 23.6 percent of state legislatures, according to Off the Sidelines, a project started last year by Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York. But in Washington State, women’s serving in public office has been as consistent as the rain. -
March 21, 2012
It's A Man's World: Idaho’s First Ladies
Idaho politics have traditionally been dominated by males, but women are increasingly breaking through to join that club. Reps. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, and Donna Pence, D-Gooding, daily enter a room where they are two of 20 women in the 70-member Idaho House of Representatives. Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, is one of nine women in the 35-member Senate. -
March 11, 2012
Sex, lies and media: New wave of activists challenge notions of beauty
Here's the fantasy: A half-naked woman lies across a couch, lips pouty and cleavage prominent as her sultry gaze implores you to buy this bottle of perfume. The reality: Women make up 51% of the United States yet only 17% of seats in the House of Representatives. They're 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs and 7% of directors in the top 250 grossing films. What's the connection? We live in a sexualized society where the gap between fantasy and reality is vast and harmful. -
March 8, 2012
Five leading Midlands women to be honored by Girl Scouts
Women of Distinction pays tribute to women who exemplify excellence in service, leadership, community, visibility, and professionalism. The five women who will be honored this year are Carolyn Cason Matthews, Patricia Moore-Pastides, Kay Thigpen, JoAnn M. Turnquist, and Genevieve N. Waller. -
March 4, 2012
How the Senate's Women Maintain Bipartisanship and Civility
Congress's approval ratings may be in the basement, but civility and bipartisanship among its female members is as strong as ever. Margaret Carlson on how the Senate's women do it. -
February 19, 2012
Women in business: Overcoming obstacles key to reaching goals
A recent article in the Post and Courier outlines the key to reaching goals for women aiming to succeed in business: overcoming societal obstacles. This piece examines pertinent female business leaders and offers advice that is applicable to both the corporate world and the political sphere. -
February 16, 2012
Women remain unappreciated in political system
There are few stereotypes in society today that lend themselves to comic impression better than the female politician. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler proved this time and time again as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton during the 2008 election cycle. Back in 2011, Kristen Wiig picked up the torch with an outstanding rendition of Rep. Michele Bachmann. -
February 8, 2012
Why Should Women Run?
There's more than just being a woman that attracts people to women candidates. Voters, especially disenchanted voters, want women as they represent a refreshing change from what they see in public office today. Dr. Beverly Forbers, an author and professor known for her pioneering work in the area of women as transformational leaders, says American voters are looking for the style of leadership most commonly found in women -
February 6, 2012
Mexico's ruling party picks woman as presidential candidate
Mexico's conservative ruling party has picked a former education secretary as its nominee for the nation's top job. If she wins, she will become Mexico's first female president. -
January 28, 2012
Women's consulting firm key player in Gingrich's S.C. victory
The biggest winners in last weekend's S.C. Republican Primary may have been Leslie Gaines and Ruth Sherlock. Prior to last Saturday, Gaines and Sherlock had spent the better part of their time at their fledgling political consulting company running themselves ragged – fundraising for this candidate, marketing for that one, scheduling for a third. "We decided to hit reset," Gaines said, co-owner of the Greenville-based Sherlock & Gaines Consulting Group. -
January 27, 2012
File for office by March 30th at 5 pm
File for office by March 30th at 5 pm -
January 26, 2012
BALOG COLUMN: 'You can't be what you can't see'
There are some things going in the next two weeks that might help address [the] deficit [of women in politics in SC] in the short and long term. Do the state a favor. Invite a woman to go see the documentary "Miss Representation" at the College of Charleston and then invite that same woman to register for the Southeastern Institute for Women in politics' online training course. -
January 23, 2012
Institute Unveils Web Based Campaign Training Schools
In the immediate wake of the state's GOP presidential primary, the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics (the Institute), in conjunction with our partners Blue Cross Blue Shield South Carolina (BCBSSC) and IT-oLogy, is announcing an exciting and innovative plan geared at encouraging and educating women to run for elected office in the Palmetto State. -
January 13, 2012
Leading by example
If you are considering running for office, consider this: You can have a great impact on young women. What do you want your daughter, niece, or grand-daughter to see when she looks at you? Check out the findings of this new study on Women in leadership roles and the impact it can have on young women. -
January 11, 2012
Top 20 US Progressives: Elizabeth Warren
Many female politicians overplay or underplay their femininity in order to get on in a male-dominated world. Writer Helen Lewis-Hasteley finds that Elizabeth Warren, would-be senator and Wall Street watchdog, refreshingly does neither. Instead, she looks and sounds like exactly what she is - a 62-year-old grandmother from Oklahoma, with the patient tones of a teacher and an expression of perpetual mild concern. -
January 4, 2012
Where did Michele Bachmann's mama grizzlies go?
It seems like only yesterday that Sarah Palin stepped into a pair of red, Naughty Monkey peep-toe pumps and blew up every assumption about the Republican Party and women. With a briefing book in her hands, a baby on her hip, and a party enamored with her, Palin created the impression in 2008 that the GOP was not only willing, but eager, to elect a women to the highest, or at least second-highest, office in the land. -
December 13, 2011
SEIWIP Board Member to Lead New SC Foundation
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is setting up a community aid foundation, the Original Six, to help put the state's poorest counties back on track. Haley has hired Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics Board member Wendy Homeyer as the executive director. The foundation derives its name from her family - her parents and siblings are the original six. She remembers her parents filling shopping carts with groceries for charities when she was growing up. There's a distinction, she notes, ... -
December 12, 2011
HBO poised to debut shows on female politicians
Female politicians, both real and imagined, are getting ready to take over HBO this spring. The premium cable channel premiered a teaser for its upcoming show, "Veep," over the weekend. Production crews for the comedy series, which stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, of "Seinfeld" fame, in the nation’s No. 2 job, spent a lot of time filming around D.C. over the last few months. -
November 13, 2011
In the Centennial State, women rule
Colorado has the highest percentage of female legislators- 41%! The tradition of women's political activism goes as far back as 1894, when Clara Cressingham, Carrie Clyde Holly and Frances Klock became the first women in the US to be elected to a state's legislature. These women helped pave the way to women's suffrage across the country. -
November 8, 2011
Women connect with whole of their selves
Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Liberian political activist, demanded a meeting with the opposition of Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically elected woman serving as a head of state in Africa, when they caused violence during Tuesday runoff election. She called for the meeting as more than a diplomat saying she would take her tears with her to meet with fellow African leader Johnson Sirleaf's opponents - to shame them, to make them see that what the violence they were ... -
November 6, 2011
Michele Flournoy, Pentagon’s highest-ranking woman, is making her mark on foreign policy
Defense Undersecretary for Policy, Michele Flournoy, is the highest-ranking woman in Pentagon history. She is "the voice of calm" guiding the transition from Gates to Panetta at the Pentagon. Will she be the first female secretary of defense? -
October 31, 2011
Kirsten Gillibrand is a woman to watch
"If Congress were 50 percent women," NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand tasked a group in San Francisco, "you think we'd be in Afghanistan and Iraq? If 50 percent of the (Securities and Exchange Commission) were women, do you think we would have had a financial meltdown?" She continued by noting that women have longer views of things than men and are better at consensus-building, better listeners. -
October 27, 2011
Presidential Voting, Combined With Redistricting, Gives Women Best Chance in 20 Years to Win Office
When presidential elections overlap with redistricting - which happens only once every 20 years - opportunities increase vastly for women candidates, according to analysis by The 2012 Project, a non-partisan campaign to elect more women to office. The Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics, an affiliate of The 2012 Project, believes the same prospects will bear out for South Carolina. -
October 19, 2011
When Gender Is No Longer Worth Noting
Female representation matters. Research by the Center for American Women in Politics found a gender gap in public policy issues. Women are less militaristic, more often opposed to the death penalty, more likely to favor gun control and environmental protections. They are less critical of government, more critical of business and more supportive of laws to regulate social vices. Those views are diluted when half of the population is elected to office at a much lower proportion. As voters see ... -
October 14, 2011
This is no 'left-wing' feminism
After years of earnest pleading, glacial progress, tired excuses and fleeting victories we now, suddenly, have four female premiers, a handful of prominent women opposition leaders and, even in the socio-cultural backwater of Ottawa, rustlings of change. It isn't full equality, but it could be a belated step toward normalizing our politics. -
October 7, 2011
Three Women in Politics Won the Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peach Prize Committee awarded this year's prize to President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, her countrywoman and peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Yemeni journalist–democracy advocate Tawakul Karman. Especially after a year of such tumult in that part of the world, the selection of three women from Arab and African countries sends a clear signal "designed to give impetus to the cause for women’s rights around the world," as the New York Times put it. “We cannot achieve democracy ... -
October 4, 2011
Women Influencers Online: What They Want and Why You Should Care
Joanne Bamberger, "mommy blogger" and author, moderated a panel called: Networked: What Women Want and Why You Should Care recently. Her panel found it evident that organizations see women in general, and mothers in particular, as a source of easy advertising, rather than as potential partners and effective influencers in their communities. Bamberger calls that a "costly mistake", pointing out that politicians miss the huge value of a tremendously influential audience - women. -
September 26, 2011
Are you a woman who can lead?
The Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics is laying the groundwork now in an effort to make the 2012 elections a game-changer. -
September 13, 2011
Obama increases number of female, minority judges
For the first time in history, the President is appointing more women and minorities to the federal bench than white males. Almost three fourths of appointees are women or minorities. -
September 7, 2011
S.C. Has Fewest Female Lawmakers
South Carolina has the fewest female lawmakers of any state in the nation, but a coalition of several women’s advocacy groups are trying to change that statistic. -
August 26, 2011
Women's Equality Day Reminds S.C. Voters Just How Far We Have Come
Today we celebrate Women's Equality Day commemorating the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave U.S. women full voting rights in 1920. -
August 26, 2011
Political Donors' Gender Disparity
Over the past two election cycles, women have given less than men. At the federal level, men consistently give more than two-thirds of all donations reported in an itemized fashion to the Federal Election Commission -- when measured by number of donors and amount of money contributed. It's time for women to support each other financially as well as professionally. -
August 11, 2011
Poll: More Women Pols = Fewer Shenanigans
New Yorkers agree with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand that more women are needed in politics - and they also feel they’d behave a lot better than male pols. -
August 1, 2011
SC Worst in Nation for Female Representation
And on and on the statistics go. To win elections, you need candidates. South Carolina women - step forward and become part of the fix. -
July 28, 2011
Electing More Women in 2012 - Increasing the Number of Women in Politics
To elect more women to public office, viable female candidates need to run. And that's the problem. Despite the substantial inroads women have made in the private sector, women in politics continue to be the exception rather than the rule. Although females outnumber males in the general population, almost five times as many men hold elected office in the US as women. On average, Congress is only 16% female in any given year. -
July 9, 2011
Will America Kill the Equal Rights Amendment?
US Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia stated in a Jan., 2011 opinion that the 14th Amendment (Civil Rights for those who've forgotten US history class) was never intended to protect women, only race. He goes on to say Federal and state law cannot protect citizens who are not protected under the Constitution. This July 11 article by author Barbara Hannah Grufferman tells us why we need to resume the effort to pass this simple amendment: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied ... -
June 29, 2011
Canada: Elect more women by focusing on obstacles to female candidacy
We need to address the reasons why women don't want to run for office in the first place. Political parties fail to encourage them, they second guess their own qualifications and face uphill battles in arranging homefront logistics. -
June 28, 2011
11 Blatant, Obvious, Shocking Signs It's Time for Women to Step Up and Lead
Lately, the Best Man for the Job Is... -
June 22, 2011
Why Politics Is Too Important to Leave to the Men
Research shows that having more women in politics changes not only what is done but how. What is discussed changes; more time on health, child care, and environmental concerns. How issues are discussed also changes. More consensus-driven win-win approaches replace the 'gotcha,' 'winners and losers,' testosterone-driven triumphalism of politics as usual. -
June 14, 2011
More Women Needed in Politics
The story of U.S. Rep. Anthony and his Weiner is more disappointing than surprising. Another male politician caught in a compromising position. Ho-hum. -
June 14, 2011
Women are better investors, and here's why
Commentary: Call it the Weiner principle: men self-destruct -
June 12, 2011
Weiner Scandal: A Victory for Women Leaders?
The mentality has to change. The world is half men and half women. The government has to reflect the world." Those are the words of Cecilia Attias, the former first lady of France at a roundtable of promminent women with Christiane Amanpour to explore whether more women in positions of power would change this trend [ref to Weiner scandal] and the public sphere's culture. According to other attendees, with the prominence of such scandals, being a female leader can be an advantage in politics ... -
June 11, 2011
In political scandals, girls won't be boys
There was a collective rolling of the eyes and a distinct sense of "Here we go again" among the women of the US House of Representatives last week when yet another male politician, Rep. Anthony D. Weiner, confessed his "terrible mistakes" and declared himself "deeply sorry for the pain" he had caused in sexual escapades so adolescent as to almost seem laughable. "I'm telling you," said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., "every time one of these sex scandals goes, we just look at each other, like, ... -
June 9, 2011
Why women are lagging when it comes to elected office
The problem isn't that women aren't winning elections, it's that they aren't running. Why aren't they running? Several reasons but mostly women are less likely to be asked to run for office in the numbers that men are. The gender gap in recruitment has contributed to the gender gap in the candidate pool. -
June 2, 2011
Pomp and Circumstance: Young Women and the Future of Politics
Somewhere among the estimated 1.7 million new college graduates of the class of 2011 is the future of American politics. By the numbers, this should also mean a surge of new women leaders on the horizon. But even though 57 percent of students enrolled in college are women -- a statistic that has held for more than a decade -- the gender gap does not favor women once they leave campus. -
May 23, 2011
Why Don't We Have More Women in Public Office? Look at Who's Running the Campaigns
Every election season, I ask myself the same question: Why aren't more women running for public office? -
May 17, 2011
Women a drastic minority in office
Virginia elections mirror South Carolina trends? -
April 28, 2011
What it takes to campaign and should their daughters do it?
After their experiences at all-candidates' debates and at the doors, we wanted to know how they've been treated, why women would want a political life - and more importantly, whether they would recommend a political career to their (future) daughters? -
April 26, 2011
Absent Voices - Women Under 40
Women aged 40 and younger are nearly absent from elected office and their voices are needed to help shape policy and offer the perspective as working professionals, mothers, caretakers and community activists. -
April 17, 2011
Non-Partisan 2012 Project Seeks to Get More Women to Run For Congress and Legislatures
Three decades ago Geraldine Ferraro paved the way for women in politics. On the cusp of 2012, how far have we come? -
April 8, 2011
How To Get Women Excited About Politics Again
Before the primaries finished in 2008, it seemed like there was a legitimate shot at getting a woman in the White House. Then 2010 was supposed to be the year of the woman, but sort of fizzled out. So how does 2012 look? -
April 5, 2011
"Get More Women Involved"
Valerie Biden Owens, sister to Vice President Joe Biden and international political consultant, kicked off the Third Annual Leading Women Dinner calling the "gender gap a modern day tragedy". Speaking to several hundred guests Friday evening in Columbia, Owens said, "we as a country fall short when women's voices go missing. We cannot fully represent the strength of America to the world unless those who represent us in government reflect us." -
April 1, 2011
For a woman to reach the White House, the 2012 elections will be key
Perhaps the torch is passing to a new generation of political women - but whose arms are outstretched? Highly visible names in national politics - Bachmann, Giffords, Gillibrand, Haley, Palin, Pelosi - mask the reality that progress in electing women has stalled. -
March 30, 2011
SC Lawmakers Want More Women in Politics
Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- When the South Carolina General Assembly comes to order only sixteen females mark their attendance in the house of representatives and none in the senate. -
March 14, 2011
Price to lead Ag Commission
COLUMBIA - Frances Hook Price of Gilbert wears many hats - wife, mother, grandmother, farmer, agribusiness woman, and the list goes on. But, she will now wear another hat - that of chair of the Agriculture Commission of S.C. -
March 9, 2011
Gov. Haley to be honored
Gov. Nikki Haley is one of two women that the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics said today that it will honor with its annual Leading Women Awards. -
February 23, 2011
Looking for Leading Ladies
Efforts are underway to close the political gender gap in the United States. Columbia, South Carolina businesswoman and entrepreneur Barbara Rackes, who serves on the board of the Southeastern Institute, points to the benefits women naturally bring to the political arena. She notes that traditionally, women are decision makers in the areas of education and health care for their families, so they offer a different perspective when serving in elected office. -
February 14, 2011
Spotlight on Women: Why hasn't the U.S. seen a female president?
Eau Claire (WQOW) - 235 years. That's how long we've been around as a democracy and in all that time, we've never had a woman as president. Which begs the question, why? -
January 22, 2011
Why Female Politicians Are More Effective
According to a forthcoming study in the American Journal of Political Science, women are the most effective lawmakers in the land. -
January 12, 2011
Haley Makes History
Nikki Haley's inauguration marks the beginning of her term, but it could also mark the beginning of a shift in South Carolina politics. Since 1776, only 85 people have earned the title Governor of South Carolina. Haley is the first female and first minority. -
January 5, 2011
Longest-serving female senator wears down the skeptics
With a new Congress beginning, hundreds of new lawmakers will be sworn in Wednesday. But only one will break a record that's lasted four decades. -
January 4, 2011
In leading women, U.S. lags
With last weekend's inauguration of Dilma Rousseff as Brazil's first female president, the United States fell farther behind the hemisphere's trend toward diverse, inclusive government. The disparity is important because women in power are more likely than men to push policies that promote equality. -
January 1, 2011
Women Gain Little Ground
A look at several key women's issues indicates that these South Carolinians are faring better in some ways than they were in 2000, and worse in others. -
December 17, 2010
The Real Gender Gap: Women in Politics
Currently, women make up only 17 percent of Congress and 23 percent of state legislatures. Women under 40 years of age are even more scarce. America, though a global leader in many respects, ranks 83rd among the world's 189 nations with elected governments in terms of number of female officials. -
December 15, 2010
Henderson wins SC House seat in Greenville
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Republican Phyllis Henderson has won a special election to fill a vacant seat in the South Carolina House from Greenville County. -
December 11, 2010
Former State Representative Harriet Keyserling dies at 88
Former State Representative Harriet Hirschfeld Keyserling of Beaufort has died at the age of 88. -
December 9, 2010
2010’s women winners – and losers
Women made some significant electoral gains in the South this year. Two women were elected governors, a first for their states, Mary Fallin (R) in Oklahoma and Nikki Haley (R) in South Carolina. In Florida, Jennifer Carroll, an African-American woman, was elected lieutenant governor as the running mate of Rick Scott, the GOP’s successful gubernatorial nominee. Carroll had previously served as a Republican member of the Florida legislature. And the number of women elected to Congress from the ... -
December 4, 2010
State lawmaker Cathy Harvin dies at 56
State Rep. Cathy Harvin, who won a special election in 2006 to her late husband's State House seat and was re-elected to her third term last month, has died. She was 56. -
December 2, 2010
Digging up dirt in politics
The moments of our past should not define us for eternity. Just because someone can have a good time doesn't make them inadequate for a serious job. So what if she's got a sense of humor? -
November 22, 2010
An editorial on women in politics
The Southeastern Institute for Women In Politics is actively encouraging and training women to run according to board member Barbara Rackes. The goal is to achieve parity in representation, she says, and that's a tall order. -
November 18, 2010
Institute Wins the 2010 Palmetto Center for Women Award
The Palmetto Center for Women has awarded its 2010 Palmetto Center for Women Award, its highest honor, to the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics. This is the first time any organization has unanimously been selected by the Palmetto Center for Women's board. The award was presented in a luncheon awards ceremony on November 16, 2010 at the Marriott in Columbia. Board member Barbara Rackes accepted the award on behalf of the Institute. -
November 11, 2010
Institute Presents Women's Resumes Thursday
South Carolina needs to use all its resources wisely -- especially the skills and capabilities of its many talented women. That was the message representatives of the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics delivered to Governor-Elect Nikki Haley's Transition Human Resource Director, Taylor Hall, Thursday morning. -
November 10, 2010
Midterms a mixed bag for women candidates
A few high-profile women candidates got a lot of attention on the national stage, but with dramatic Democratic losses, the number of women in Congress will likely hold steady or decrease for the first time since 1987. The first female House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and three Democratic women committee chairs will lose their leadership positions in the majority, and consequently the overall political clout of women in the House will decrease. -
November 5, 2010
S.C. still lacks women in government
South Carolina may have attracted a lot of national attention this week with the election of the state’s first female governor, but a familiar story line continues to play out: The state places dead last in the nation for the percentage of women in the Legislature and has the distinction of having the only all-male chamber in the country. -
November 2, 2010
Tea party-backed Haley SC's 1st woman governor
COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - South Carolina elected its first woman governor Tuesday, opting for a tea party-backed Republican lawmaker to succeed scandal-stained Gov. Mark Sanford. -
October 31, 2010
Study: Sexist insults hurt female politicians
WASHINGTON — Calling a female candidate such sexist names as "ice queen" and "mean girl" significantly undercuts her political standing, a new study of voter attitudes finds, doing more harm than gender-neutral criticism based solely on her policy positions and actions. -
October 24, 2010
Will More Women Make a Difference?
Would state government be different if there were more women involved? There's one way to find out--support SC GAP. -
June 8, 2010
Arkansas Democrat Sen. Blanche Lincoln wins primary
The two-term senator withstands this year's strong anti-incumbent tide. But in Nevada, a 'tea party' favorite wins the GOP nomination to face Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in November.