Women Bring Essential Voice to Politics but Often Lack Support to Run for Office

After ensuring that their children are safely put to bed, their husband, spouse or partner have been attended to and that their mother or father have eaten and are resting comfortably, then they may have time to campaign. That’s what women in politics face.

Women make up 50.7% of the population in New Jersey but only 13.2% of the sitting mayors in New Jersey are women. Women also only comprise 14.3% of congressional seats in New Jersey according to a report by Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics.

“Maybe it’s because of the multiple roles they’re expected and often assume but women have to be asked seven times more than a man to run to be a political representative,” said Laura Matos, MAD Global Strategy. She added that women often work for less but contribute more hours, yet oftentimes there’s the stigma that they still are not enough.

Once women have decided to run for office, they often embark upon their political campaign with far less support than men, particularly in terms of fundraising and childcare-related issues. For some, this leads to over extension or exhaustion which causes women to give up their political aspirations if they fail to win in their first attempt.

So, what can be done to level the playing field?

New Jersey’s local leaders and politicians came together recently during the National Municipalities Annual Conference in Atlantic City to discuss the prevailing issues faced by New Jerseyans, especially those which are among the top concerns for women in politics or women considering politics as a career.

Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ, spoke about the importance of addressing these issues.

“I think this problem is deep and systemic in that the elected officials affect the appointed officials … When elected officials look at appointing people who they think are competent, prepared and intellectually sound, they look at white men,” Baraka said.

According to The Center for American Women and Politics, in New Jersey, while women hold office in the state senate and state assembly at 27.5% and 40%, respectively, the disproportionate number of women in office rises significantly when women of color become the focus.

Mayor Andre Sayegh of Paterson, NJ spoke from personal experience.

“I have two daughters and a son,” he said adding that whenever they go out together, people routinely make reference to his son, saying, ‘he’s going to be the mayor of Paterson one day.’

“That offends me – it really does,” Sayegh said. “Wait, I have two older daughters and they could probably beat him to the punch and be the mayor of Paterson. But [people] don’t see a young lady being the mayor of Paterson. We’ve never had a woman elected mayor in Paterson.”

When I got into the legislature [the salary] was $49,000 a year full time – I was a full time legislator,” said Mayor Marcia A. Karrow (Flemington, NJ). “I served with Senator Lugar’s father. I know that Senator Lugar Jr. is a lawyer and your other running mate has his own business. New Jersey runs a full time legislature.

We are not in Maryland where they are in office for three months and go home … If you pay legislators the same amount as a cabinet member watch the men leave because it doesn’t pay enough.”