Just a Mom in Tennis Shoes!

By Andrea Dew Steele, President, Emerge America

Why don't women run for office at the same rate men do?  Women are still the primary caregivers for children and elders.  And according to research by Professor Jennifer Lawless, these family roles are still one of the main barriers for women to run for office.

Since my goal is to persuade more women to run, I always look to role models who have overcome these barriers and made it work.  Senator Patty Murray is one of those role models and Emerge women in California had the great fortune of speaking with her directly about how she successfully negotiated a balance between family and her role as a U.S. Senator. 

When Senator Murray was elected in 1992 -- one of only six women serving in the U.S. Senate at that time! -- she and her family were so surprised by her victory that they really hadn't considered whether they would move to Washington, D.C. or have her commute between Washington State and Washington D.C.  Ultimately, they decided to stay home, and for 17 years she has commuted 3,000 miles each week and still goes grocery shopping on Saturday mornings -- all of which helps her stay in touch with her constituents.

How did she make it work with seventh and tenth grade children?  Ingenuity!  They faxed their homework to her so she could look at it and fax it back to them.  And what does she tell women who are concerned about balancing a political career with a family life?  "Don't' be! I did it." Murray says her children have turned out well.  Meeting this self-proclaimed "mom in tennis shoes," anyone can see why that's true.  

Senator Murray entered politics the same way most women do. She started at the local level because she was upset that the legislature wanted to cut a valuable preschool program her kids were attending.  She went from the school board to the state legislature and finally to the U.S. Senate.  And what makes her continue to do this hard work? She will tell you that it is the knowledge that she is making a tremendous difference in the lives of ordinary Americans – whether it is by pushing hard to get more health care benefits for children or for veterans or by being one of only 21 Senators to vote against the Iraq war.  

This is what we are trying to do at Emerge – get local community activists to take the plunge and run for office. If Senator Murray did it – so can you!!