Representative Cynthia M. Chestnut's presentation to American Association of University Women - Gainesville, Florida

January 9, 1999 - 10:00 a.m.

I am so delighted to be here with you today. It is an honor to share the company of women for whom I have the utmost respect and who represent a veritable Who’s Who in America. You are women who are making great contributions in your professions, communities, families, and society as a whole. I am especially pleased to speak to you, The American Association of University Women, whose primary goal is to promote the advancement of women through education, a goal I hold near and dear to my heart.

I want to talk with you for a few minutes about "Women in Politics: Where We Have Been, Where We Are Today, and Where We are Going." The timing of this topic is extremely relevant today, Saturday, January 9, 1999, because Elizabeth Dole should soon be announcing her candidacy for President of the United States in 2000. Women have indeed come a long way, but have a good way to go to achieve true equality in many areas of life, especially in politics.

During the twentieth century, women have made significant economic, political, and social advances that fundamentally challenged their traditional roles. Before we can talk about where we are going, I want to take a moment and talk about where we’ve been.

Alan Morris, former Clerk of the Florida House of Representatives, gives us a glimpse into the lives of "Women in Politics" earlier this century in his book, Women in the Florida Legislature. He writes:

In fact, Florida did not officially ratify the Nineteenth Amendment until 1969. Certainly, we have come a long way, but not as far as we need to go.

Over the years, women have made gains in every arena. But it has been slow going. In previous generations, everyone knew what role women were expected to play in society -- mother, nurturer, caretaker, family manager -- while the man of the house made the living. Women in politics were few and far between. Those who made inroads were truly exceptions, and they often had a hard row to hoe.

My own political journey has evolved over time and changing attitudes. I am sure this is true for many of you. Not only am I a woman, but an African-American woman, which characterizes me as a double minority. I knew that to succeed in crossing the barriers set before me, I would have to work doubly hard and be especially focused.

Growing up in Tallahassee, I knew that I would go to college. It was expected. In the words of my mother, "A woman always has to have her own dime for a Coca Cola." She also told me she would pay for college only if I majored in education or a health field such as nursing or social work. My mother’s experience had taught her that those honorable professions were the only areas where women were expected to work.

I attended Florida A & M University where I majored in Speech Pathology. I then went to Florida State where I received my Master’s degree, also in Speech Pathology — education was the path I chose to follow. But even before I earned a Doctorate in Public Administration, I had already made a move toward politics.

As a child, I always knew I wanted to be a Mayor. In 1989, I was voted the first African-American woman Mayor/City Commissioner of Gainesville. Shortly thereafter, Sid Martin’s seat in the Florida Legislature came open and, after much deliberation, I decided to vacate my position as City Commissioner and run for Florida House District 23.

I knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, and I clearly understood that being involved in the political process was a "hands-on" way to make life better for others. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the citizens of Gainesville.

After I was elected, I hired my staff, a black legislative aide and a black secretary. Shortly thereafter, a former commissioner told me that my office was too black. And yet, for years Sid Martin’s office looked just like him and Senator George Kirkpatrick’s office looks just like him.

Women in every field, whether politics, business, education, or almost any other, have faced and continue to face obstacles on the way up.

Where are we today?

Although some may say the playing field is level today, most women realize there is still a glass ceiling.

In business, very few women sit in the executive suite. If a woman is there, most likely she does not receive equal compensation. Women today receive 74 cents per $1.00 received by men. The median annual earnings of women, both in Florida and in the U.S., are substantially lower than the earnings of men in comparable work. In Florida, the median income for a woman is $23,200; for a man, it is $30,500. This ratio is reflected in the national average as well, with women making $24,900 while the median income for men is $34,400.

If women are not in a staff support position and have risen to the top ranks, it is often in areas such as human resources, research, or administration rather than the fast-track positions of marketing, sales, or production which tend to be the "pipelines" to the top.

Often the lack of quality childcare keeps qualified women out of the work force. If a woman is interested in continuing on her chosen career path but cannot feel secure that her child is in a safe learning environment, then the scales will be tipped in favor of her staying home.

Being at home with children is ideal, but many women must work, and the lack of accessible and affordable early education is a major problem. This is of great concern to me. Over the last few years I have filed early childhood legislation that would address the early education needs of Floridians. Last year I filed a Pre-K bill that died in the closing moments of the 1998 session. Again this year, Pre-K legislation that takes into consideration important brain research — which determines that children need quality child care and early intervention to be ready to enter kindergarten — will be heard in the Florida Legislature.

Recently, when Washington lawmakers were discussing the fate of Social Security, President Clinton held a press conference at which he pledged to protect Social Security. He specifically addressed Social Security for women who have taken time off from work to care for their children. He stated that they should not be penalized for doing so. The President revealed a plan to allow the main breadwinner, who is more often the man, to take less Social Security while he is alive so that his surviving spouse can receive better benefits after his death.

And what about retirement benefits? The National Center for Women and Retirement Research says that, for every year a woman misses work to stay home with a child, it takes five years to recover lost income, pension, promotion, and Social Security benefits.

In addition to the proposal set forth by President Clinton, the Center suggests that women learn about pension plans earlier, invest in 401K and retirement plans, negotiate the care of elderly parents with other family members, and save more. Of course, women argue that it’s hard to save more until we earn more. The glass ceiling is still firmly in place in business as well as in politics.

For example, after 154 years of statehood there has been a total of 93 women elected to the Florida Legislature — ever — while over 3,800 men have been elected. That’s not quite one woman for every 38 men elected to office in Florida.

Researchers suggest several reasons for the glass ceiling in politics.

One reason that women are having trouble winning the top political offices is that those are the jobs men want to keep. The offices most accessible to women are those too cheap to be interesting to males. New Hampshire, for instance, not only has a female governor but also a legislature that’s more than 30 percent female. This achievement may have something to do with the fact that the job pays $100 per year.

Women in politics get a slow start. A study once found that male legislators were on average 20 years younger, though the gap has since narrowed. Mixing child rearing and Congress or the State Legislature is tough. Cathy Allen, a political consultant in Olympia, Washington, says, "The average woman takes two years to decide to run. She’ll wait until she has the perfect campaign manager, the right 17 endorsements, until she’s gotten down to a perfect size 10, and the kids are out of school."

And even if women do decide to run earlier, as a mother — or mother-to-be, in the case of Massachusetts Lt. Governor Jane Swift — they sometimes face controversy and public scorn. When the 34-year-old Republican candidate announced her pregnancy during the campaign, she took heat from many sides and was called on to account for her breast-feeding plans, her child-care choices, and her commitment to parenting. I don’t recall any soon-to-be fathers who were candidates for office being asked these same questions.

Traditional women’s issues do not attract many big donors; this is another obstacle facing female candidates. Women would probably benefit from a campaign finance system in which candidates received matching funds and were prohibited from taking huge donations.

Survey researchers on women in politics have also determined that while men often embark on a political career to make business contacts, women generally get into the game because they want to help. Harriet Woods, the former president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, says that most women begin with community concerns, not ambition. Plus, many constituents view women as single-issue candidates: pro-choice. It’s important that women in office publicly discuss the many other issues that are important, such as more quality day care and better HMOs.

Although the glass ceiling is intact, women are continuously chipping away. At the national level, 1998 was a very good year for women. In record numbers, women ran for higher office and won — 73 percent of their primaries. Two years ago, women won 57 percent and, in 1992, only 48 percent of their primaries. According to Democratic pollster Celinda Lake in the December 1998 issue of the League of Women Voters’ National Voter Magazine, one reason great Democratic gains were made in the U. S. House of Representatives is because African-American turnout was particularly high. She says African-Americans made up 29 percent of the Southern electorate in the 1998 elections.

On election night, 1998, Tammy Baldwin became the first Congresswoman from Wisconsin; 56 women will serve in the 106th Congress, breaking the record of the 105th by two; and although Senator Carol Mosely-Braun lost her election, the number of women in the U.S. Senate remains the same — nine — because Blanche Lambert Lincoln was elected in Arkansas. In the Florida Congressional Delegation, five of 23 members are women.

When California’s 1999 session begins, California will have ten women Senators, nine Democrats and one Republican; this is a record number, up from six last year. Nationwide, the number of women serving in state legislatures has grown steadily from 4 percent in 1969 to 22 percent today, according to the Center for the American Woman and Politics at Rutgers University.

And in Arizona, for the first time in that state’s history the top five elected positions — Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Attorney General — are all women. This is the state that was the last to pass into law the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday. Progress is being made in Arizona.

Closer to home, for the 1998-2000 legislative term, there are 26 women out of 120 Representatives in the Florida House and 7 women Senators in the Florida Senate. The current Senate President, Toni Jennings, is a woman.

Research shows that legislatures with larger proportions of female elected officials do, in fact, address women’s issues more than those with few female representatives.

Advances in the number of women elected to office have been good, but voter registration and turnout is relatively low in Florida — although both are slightly higher for women than men. This could explain why more women are being elected to office.

But it is critical that both the registration and turnout numbers go up. Many of us take the right to vote for granted. For example, voter turnout in Jacksonville for the September 1998 primary election was 9.54 percent of registered voters — 9.54 percent! Voting is the first step to effecting change.

Another trend worth noting is that women increasingly outnumber men at colleges and universities according to the U.S. Department of Education. Statistics show that there were 8.4 million women and only 6.7 million men enrolled in college in 1996.

There is no clear consensus as to why the number of men enrolled in colleges and universities has dropped, but some education experts suggest that the strong economy may give men a sense that they can make their way without higher education, whether in computer work or in the military.

Women in politics: Where are we going and how do we get there?

The good news is we can go wherever we want to go. But we must be proactive. We cannot sit on the sidelines and watch as the political process unfolds before us. We must determine to succeed, we must make up our minds to take risks, and then stand up for what we believe and for who we are.

Let me address some very important ways that women in politics can soar into the 21st Century in leadership positions.

Education: No one knows better than the women sitting in this room that education is the key that unlocks the door to a bright future, whether it be in politics or any other field. In 1996, the Florida Legislature created the Bright Futures Scholarships, a program of merit-based scholarships that pay either partial or complete tuition depending upon student grades. In 1997, over 42,000 Florida students received Bright Futures Scholarships, which are funded by state lottery monies.

This year the Legislature will consider funding need-based scholarships out of lottery dollars. I wholeheartedly support this measure, in part because the people who most need scholarships are the ones buying the lottery tickets. Education is an important part of the equation for women’s success.

Women must also broaden their areas of interest and expertise. We are compassionate and therefore have often chosen the compassionate career fields, just as my mother led me, aiming me toward the traditional women’s issues: education, health, and social services. In the next millennium, we must cross over to business, science, and technology, and we must have "compassion with appropriations."

Legislative researchers who track Congress and state Legislatures have found that very few women serve in leadership on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Budget Committees — the "prestige committees." Characteristically, women who are good policy makers have concentrated on issues that will make a difference at home, such as education initiatives, welfare reform, labor, and health, to name a few. Therefore they strive to get on the committee that would further those goals. But those committee assignments do not lead to party leadership. We need to begin positioning ourselves for leadership so we are not effecting change bill by bill or committee by committee but fiscal year by fiscal year. We need to be on the team that sets the course for what legislation will be heard.

How do women expand their interest and expertise? We start at a young age with the generations of leaders yet to come. According to the most recent National Goals Panel Report on Math and Science, girls score lower than boys on math and science tests in every state in the nation. These scores have been climbing; however, parents and teachers need to dismiss any lingering notions that girls cannot do math and science.

Women need to build consensus. It is important that we partner with one another to achieve our goals. Policymakers listen and take action for an organized constituency, not one voice crying alone in the wilderness. Even those five women who boldly went before the Florida Legislature in 1917 to fight for suffrage knew that by joining together they would sound like not just a solo voice but a chorus. Therefore, we must join together and work within the system by building consensus.

Networking: Women, by and large, do not feel comfortable "networking up." Peers, professors, political officers, potential employers, and friends are people we come across every day. We need a firm handshake, eye contact, and a destination. Men tend to think of networking — discussing accomplishments, awards, and special recognitions -- as a natural part of a conversation. In turn, women tend to be concerned that the successful man or woman they are talking to become the center of the conversation. There is nothing wrong with inspiring a little mutual admiration.

Be prepared to take a seat at the table and deal with the power players. Collectively and individually, we must put forth those ideas that are best. We must execute the power of leadership effectively and for the benefit of those who have provided us the opportunity to lead. That means setting goals, believing that those goals are attainable, working hard every step of the way, having a hunger to learn — knowing that the task and assignments of today are opportunities to learn something new for tomorrow.

It also means proving that we are capable in any field. A proven track record can earn respect, admiration, a reserved space at the table, and flowing campaign dollars.

Mentoring: Children are the Future

Finally, I want to close with the single most important impact we can make on the future generation of women. And you, well-educated, successful women with wisdom, are needed to play a vital role. Without your guidance and knowledge, young women of today will be required to learn the hard way all the lessons you have already learned.

Our young women need mentors. They need to know what their future can hold. Many young women are not looking to the future; they are concerned with now. Many of them become young mothers without husbands, are involved in drugs, and see absolutely no way out. And others simply have no direction.

I want to tell you a little bit about the hours between 3 and 6 p.m. In 68 percent of two-parent families both parents work outside the home, and in single-parent families, demands can be even greater. Supervision is often delegated to older siblings or neighbors, if it exists at all.

Unfortunately, unsupervised youth can be a formula for trouble. For example, juvenile crime goes up 300 percent after 3 p.m., and over half of it occurs on weekdays between 3 and 6 p.m. Most teen pregnancies are conceived between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m. Most violent crime occurs after 3 p.m.

Mentoring a young person is not just some abstract idea; it has an immediate effect on his or her life, as well as a long-term effect. Mentoring provides an opportunity to deter trouble right now. By helping young people not fail today, you are setting them up for success tomorrow.

Remember, the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. I, for one, want to have many, many outstanding choices for our future leaders, and I would like to see women leading the charge.

Lastly, we always need to keep in mind that "Rome was not built in a day." We must persevere, be patient, and be thoughtful, because we are making gains. Take stock of where we have been, where we are today, and where we will be in the next century and beyond.

I would like to leave you with a poem written by Sojourner Truth entitled "Ain’t I a Woman?"

Let’s go turn the world of politics right side up!

Thank you.