United States of America

Where are all the women?

A new study of women serving elected office in Utah shows that, even though Utah is one of the few states with a female Speaker of the House, the number of women serving in the state Legislature has actually declined over the past decade and only 12 of 161 mayors are women.

“Our young women are forming a new era in female history,” wrote Massachusetts feminist Judith Sargent Murray excitedly. “The Rights of Women begin to be understood; we seem, at length, determined to do justice.” The year was 1798. It would be two hundred and fourteen years until her home state would elect its first female senator, Elizabeth Warren. This year, it might get its first elected female governor, likely Democratic nominee Martha Coakley.

Liz Cheney cited family health concerns as her reason for dropping out of the Wyoming Senate race, but her exit Monday came after months of struggling to gain traction in a Republican primary challenge to Sen. Michael B. Enzi.

Nearly six months after announcing her first bid for public office, the campaign of the former State Department official and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney had grabbed more headlines for causing intrafamily drama than for offering a decisive argument for her candidacy.

Wendy Davis isn't the only one who could make history.

In November, Cambridge voters elected eight men and one woman to serve on the nine-member City Council. It’s the first time in decades that only one woman has served on the council, prompting many residents to wonder how a city known for its liberalism and diversity could have such a lopsided field of representatives. The Chronicle spoke with Emerge Massachusetts executive director Taylor Woods-Gauthier about why gender balance in politics is important and how to encourage more women to run.

There's still a gender gap when it comes to positions of power. But 2013 was a notable year for women in politics, in the U.S. and elsewhere.

As editors at The Story Exchange, we welcome such progress. When there are more females holding office, it stands to reason we'll see more gains in women's health, education and economic empowerment. And of course, we're all about role models. If "Your Honor" is a woman, that sends a strong message -- especially to the younger generation -- that any ambitious dream is possible.

The 2016 National Elections are not that far away. It is timely and important that we not wait until then to begin having constructive discussions about who should be given the opportunity and responsibility to succeed President Barack Obama. The questions of the future of politics, economics and equal justice should never be avoided. Especially, given all the voter suppression enactments in many states over the last two years, we should be more vigilant about being politically conscious and civically active.