You In Mizzou focuses on gender, politics

The event was one discussion from the Chancellor's Diversity Initiative.

By Zachary Murdock

Published March 5, 2010

Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Nancy Pelosi — and, well, after that, many people draw a blank on notable female politicians.

MU's You In Mizzou series continued Wednesday night with a dialogue on women in politics. The discussion began with students trying to identify some of the national female politicians, as well as women in local or state offices. After identifying only a few, students quickly came to the consensus that there are too few females in major political roles.

"There are very few women involved in making decisions that will ultimately affect women's lives," senior Sam Liss said.

"Pearls and Politics: Why are so few women still in politics today?" is the sixth of seven discussion sessions created by the Chancellor's Diversity Initiative to expand discussion on diversity issues facing faculty, staff and students at MU.

"The purpose of this program is first to create a safe space for people to talk about issues like gender, race and religion," said Yuan Gao, a graduate research assistant and coordinator for the You In Mizzou dialogues. "The other purpose is to create this learning environment for people to look at other perspectives and viewpoints."

At the session, a large group of students gathered to discuss the issue of women's role in politics, how it has changed over years and whether there is a shortage of women in political positions. Students also discussed how issues like race and gender influenced the 2008 presidential election.

"I think it's really easy to write off this whole problem as a cultural bias," sophomore Iman Rahim said. "But Hillary Clinton didn't lose (the 2008 Democratic nomination) by a huge margin, and I don't believe she lost because of her gender."

One issue students in attendance discussed was a lack of political female role models and how more female public figures would encourage young women to consider politics as a career.

"I think that when you are looking for role models, you end up identifying with people that are like you," freshman Natasha Desai said. "However, we try to solve this problem, I feel like it will be a crucial stepping stone to giving young women more role models, and getting them involved in politics."

Students also discussed how women entering politics can change the way people in politics interact, as well as how the media adjusts to more women in politics.

A difficult and complex issue, students decided that encouraging more women to enter politics would help alleviate the issue but also that women should take advantage of the opportunities they have now to become involved in politics.

Those in attendance decided the key to getting women involved in politics lies in the challenge of finding more women interested and passionate in issues surrounding their community and the nation.

You In Mizzou's seventh dialogue, "Is it time for gay marriage in Missouri?" will be April 7 and will discuss the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage in Missouri, as well as on a national level.