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Women lack representation in S.C. politics
Rep. Shannon Erickson spoke recently to an elementary school class in her home district of Beaufort. Afterward, she said "a whole swarm of girls came up and asked for my autograph."
Erickson, a Republican, is a junior state representative elected to the House for the second time - and for the first full term - in November.
"These girls need role models to realize they can run for office, too," she said.
South Carolina ranks 50th among the states in the percentage of women elected to public office. There are no women currently serving among the 46 members of the S.C. Senate. Erickson is one of 17 women out of 124 members of the House.
Erickson is hoping those statistics will change, because she says women bring different issues and a unique leadership style to public roles.
A concerted effort is under way to encourage more women to run for public office. On May 1, The Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics hosted the 2009 Leading Women Dinner.
The Columbia-based nonprofit's goal is to train women to become "active and powerful participants" in the political process, according to its Web site.
In the latest issue of Inclusion, a magazine sponsored by the Municipal Association of South Carolina and published by SC Biz News, the CEO of The Riley Institute at Furman University takes up the gender gap in a commentary essay.
"In a state where slightly more than 50% of our population is female, less than one-fourth of all elected officials are women," Donald Gordon wrote.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the national percentage of women in state legislatures is 24.2%.
North Carolina has 4.4 times as many women serving in its General Assembly as South Carolina does.
Erickson said there are myriad reasons women don't run for the state House and Senate. Many women feel it would take too much time away from their families, she said.
Others hold jobs that don't allow them to get away. Men do, too, but traditionally female jobs such as teaching do not allow much flexibility in scheduling, she said, whereas male-dominated jobs in fields like legal and finance provide the option of working remotely.
Still other women might not want to play the political games during election season, she said.
"Women aren't used to having everything from their past dug up and thrown at them," Erickson said.
Rep. Deborah Long, a Republican representing Lancaster and York counties, said she had originally encouraged her husband to run for the seat when it opened up last year.
"I didn't even see that as a possibility for myself," said Long, an optometrist.
She was encouraged to run and was elected on her first try. She is now serving her first term in the House.
"I definitely think women bring a different perspective," she said. "They do things different."
Rep. Annette Young, a Republican representing Charleston and Dorchester counties, is a senior member of the House. She is currently serving her 19th year, and in 1995 was the first woman ever elected to serve as majority leader.
"I would encourage women to get involved," she said. "Run for office. We give birth, raise children and work. We bring a different perspective."
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