Click here to find out how you can support this important effort
Three years ago Kiley Lane Parker started to research why the United States didn’t have more women in elected office, something that troubled her after the 2008 and 2010 elections. Although there were some pretty significant female breakthroughs during these years, studies were showing that the high profile campaigns of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton actually dampened women’s political ambition. Her research turned into Raising Ms. President, a documentary about raising the next generation of female political leaders. It’s in its final week of seeking finishing funds through Kickstarter.
In 2011, Parker traveled to California where she interviewed Richard Fox of It’s Takes A Candidate, Why Women Don’t Run For Office. Fox’s findings over a ten year period indicated that women don’t run for office because they a. feel less qualified than men and b. they lack the ambition to run for office. Unlike 20 years ago, most of the other obstacles like party support and money had little indication on whether or not a women decided to become a political leader in the 21st century, therefore, Parker began to ask the question, “well then, where does political ambition start?”
Her focus on the “next generation” became apparent after sitting with students from Ignite in Oakland, California and Running Start in Washington, D.C. These were the young women who were different. They didn’t have the same baggage of many women who grew up in the later half of the 20th century. They didn’t know what it was like to be told they couldn’t do something because they were a girl, yet they shared the same insecurities about running for office.
Fox’s research was right, therefore, Parker realized that perhaps getting more qualified women to run for office isn’t going to be that easy and that they only way to do so it to start encouraging all young women at an early age, before they leave high school.
It might be that we need to reevaluate how we raise our daughters and teach them in school. How social and cultural pressures still play a major role in how young women view themselves, seek leadership roles and stand out among a crowd.
Parker believes that with more women in office there will be better outcomes for everyone involved. Not only will younger women aspire to be political leaders because they see politics as a place where women serve, but policy decisions will be made with a broader view on life, family and living, strengthen our overall democracy.
Raising Ms. President answers the many questions about why women don’t strive to be our nation’s political leaders and what is being done to encourage more women to think about politics early.
I encourage you to join me in supporting this important film. Click here to find out how.
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