United States of America

High-profile mayoral elections this year have already proved that the steps to City Hall remain steep for female candidates.

Only one of the nation's 10 largest cities is run by a woman: Annise Parker of Houston, who faces re-election in November. Just 12 of the 100 largest cities have women in the top job, including Fort Worth, Baltimore and Las Vegas.

We invite our users to read the full article published September 19 2013

In 1985, I made it to the front page of The Herald newspaper. It was a photo of me wearing a big smile, shaking President Robert Mugabe’s hand during the five-year independence celebrations. This roused my dream to one day become a politician and lead the country. 

We invite our users to read the full article published September 18 2013

Why are there so few female elected officials in the second largest city in the country? Of 18 elected positions in City Hall, only one is held by a woman — Nury Martinez, who joined the council in July.

By comparison, at least 36 percent of the New York City Council is female (at least, there are 18 members of the women’s caucus, and with 50 council members, do the math) as is the speaker, Christine Quinn.

Progressive groups unveiled a major initiative on Wednesday to draw attention to challenges that women still face and to promote public policies to address gender disparities.

Organizing for Action, dedicated to promoting President Barack Obama's agenda, is launching a "Stand with Women" effort on Wednesday night with more than 100 events in homes around the country.

The emergence of three female Democrats as competitive Senate candidates has party activists optimistic the 2014 election cycle will end with a record number of women in the upper chamber.

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, who officially launched her Senate bid Tuesday, joins fellow Democrats Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky and Michelle Nunn in Georgia as high-profile recruits in states Democrats consider winnable next year.

Politician and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once said, “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”

Fictional "Parks and Recreation" politician Leslie Knope once said, “Maybe it’s time for more women to be in charge.” And then probably said something about waffles.

While perhaps the real-world influence of these two women is disparate (one a fictional television character, the other a diplomat who has traveled to and managed relations in over 112 countries), the messages of both ring true.

The woman who helped launch the beginning of the end of Bob Filner's mayoral careeris now being recognized as a "Woman of Courage".

That salute to Donna Frye's courage and civic activism comes from Run Women Run -- an influential, nonpartisan political action committee that promotes women in electoral politics.

In an interview Wednesday with NBC 7, Frye ruled out questions and discussion about the many women she urged to come forward with sexual allegations against Filner.

There's something missing from our political offices, and the answer is in the hormones. We need more estrogen.

Despite having successful female examples at the national level such as Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Nancy Pelosi, the number of women in political office is staggeringly low. According to a 2013 study by the Center for American Women and Politics, women comprise only 18.3% of Congress; in other words, they hold only 98 of the 535 seats.

Seven local women announced the formation of the Institute for Women in Politics of Northwest Florida Inc. The nonprofit corporation will “provide ... training resources and counseling services to promote and fulfill the vital need for women to serve at all levels of government in the Florida counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa". Former Pensacola City Councilor Diane Mack is the organization’s first president.