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Maybe it's because their parents didn't encourage them to run
for office or because South Carolina has been behind the
national curve in welcoming women and minorities into its
political sphere. Or maybe it's because Southern customs make it
difficult for them to ask for money.
Whatever the reason, political participation by South
Carolina women is lagging, particularly in the state
Legislature.
Fewer than one in 10 of South Carolina's lawmakers are women,
the lowest percentage of any state in the nation. There are no
women who represent the state in Congress or in a statewide
office.
And earlier this month, the only woman among the state
Senate's 46 members, Linda Short, a Democrat from Chester,
announced she wouldn't seek another term next year after serving
in the chamber for 16 years.
All this even though women in the state are more likely than
men to go to the polls. For every five men who voted last
November in South Carolina, six
women cast ballots, according to State Election Commission
figures.
What's going on?
Lynne Ford, a College of Charleston political science
professor who has studied the issue, said women candidates tend
to do well, but there are relatively few of them.
"In part, that's because the South was the last to adopt
suffrage, the last to embrace full participation, whether it was
women or African-Americans or other minorities," she said.
"That legacy is very pernicious. It really has a lot of
carryover to today."
Changing this legacy will take time, but many hope that a
special workshop in Charleston on Saturday is a step in the
right direction.
Jennet Robinson Alterman, director of the Center for Women,
said the conference stemmed from the realization that South
Carolina is being singled out for its lack of women in office.
The center, along with the College of Charleston's Women's and
Gender Studies Program, and the Charleston area League of Women
Voters, has been trying to turn around that trend.
Alterman said organizers made sure the 14 presenters at
Saturday's workshop represent all political stripes: Democratic
and Republican officeholders, activists sand those holding
nonpartisan offices.
The agenda is partly a how-to, nuts-and-bolts look at running
for office and partly a pep talk. Inez Tenenbaum, former state
Superintendent of Education and the only woman to hold elected
statewide office from 1998 to 2006, will give the keynote
address.
Ultimately, organizers hope the session will influence who
appears on local ballots next year.
"We wanted to do this far enough ahead to help people
think through whether they wanted to run for some of the state
offices as well as legislative offices," she said.
Charleston County Councilwoman Colleen Condon, who had to
wage three campaigns before winning her seat, said one obstacle
women candidates face is getting over their reluctance to ask
for money.
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"Certainly, Southern women, more than most folks, have
been taught never to ask for money," she said, "but
it's absolutely critical to run a good election to have the
money to do what you think you should do to win it."
She said another obstacle, particularly for those interested
in a state legislative seat, is the prospect of spending three
days a week away from home when the Legislature is in session.
"I don't anticipate ever running for the state House,
though I've got a lot of encouragement," Condon said.
"I've got a child to get ready for school in the morning
and to make sure he does his homework."
Jane Barr, who ran for a state House seat last year and lost
in the GOP primary, said part of the reason that South Carolina
has so few women in office is cultural. Girls often aren't
encouraged to think about a career in politics.
"I have never heard anybody tell their little girl when
she grows up, she's going to be president," she said.
"I've heard them say they're going to be a doctor or
lawyer."
She said during her political runs, she found men more
generous contributors than women, even women who were relatively
well off. "If I had any message at all to give to women,
it's put you're money where you're mouth is. It's not cheap to
run for office at all."
Condon, who is the sole woman on County Council, said women
need to realize how important it is to have women in office,
simply because they bring a different perspective to the table.
"I think I'm more likely to deal with — and more
sensitive to — the issues of time off and of health insurance
because of handling that for my family. That may not be true for
many of my colleagues," she said.
College of Charleston Dean of Students Jeri Cabot said it
will take more "structured encouragement" like
Saturday's workshop to get more women to wade deeper into the
state's political stream. Ford agreed, noting that political
parties and other groups aren't doing a good job recruiting
women.
"Women are not going to win public office if they're not
candidates — that's the No. 1 rule," Ford said.
"That sounds self-evident, but when women run, they have a
better than even chance of winning."
Barr has not won an election in her two tries, but she is not
giving up. She has remained involved in politics through work
with the League of Women Voters and currently with former New
York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid.
While Barr is a Republican, she finds inspiration in the
words of a Democratic first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. "She
said, 'Do something every day that scares you.' I think that's a
great motto to live by."
If you go
WHAT:
Women and the Political Process — Creating Momentum for
Future Leaders.
WHEN: 8
a. m. to 4 p. m. Saturday.
WHERE:
Tate Center for Entrepreneurship, College of Charleston, 5
Liberty St.
WHO:
Co-sponsored by the Center for Women, the League of Women
Voters and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program of the
College of Charleston.
Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com.
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