Rhode Island could make history this year by electing its first female governor, as well as possibly its second female lieutenant governor and third female secretary of state, in November’s general election.
There are three female candidates currently vying for various state-level positions — Democrat and Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo for governor, Democrat Nellie Gorbea for secretary of state and Republican Catherine Taylor for lieutenant governor.
At 27.4 percent, the rate of women in the Rhode Island state legislature has never been higher, according to the University of Massachusetts at Boston’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy.
Men represent over 70 percent of state government, a dynamic Taylor said she attributes partly to women’s traditional role as homemakers. Planning a career in politics while raising a family is difficult, she added.
“The Rhode Island General Assembly historically meets Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the afternoons through dinner,” Gorbea said, which makes it difficult for caregivers, often female, to attend.
And if women attempt to run for office, party politics are a large barrier to entry, Taylor said. Men have traditionally dominated Rhode Island politics, creating a cycle in which men will usually consider and nominate other men for governmental positions, she said.
Often legislation will have a male bias due to this gender imbalance, said Sen. Gayle Goldin, D-Providence. A 2010 report by the Women’s Fund in Rhode Island shows that state budget cuts for the past decade have most often decreased economic assistance to programs generally geared toward women.
Women do not generally tend to see themselves as prime candidates for government, Goldin said, citing research that shows women need to be asked several times before actually choosing to run, while men tend to think of themselves as potential candidates even without being asked.
Part of women’s hesitation to enter the political scene may arise from a lack of female leaders in Rhode Island as role models. “There’s the barrier of not knowing somebody else who’s done it,” Gorbea said. “A lot of times when people venture into specific fields, they know someone close to them that has done it. … Then, they have an easier time imagining themselves doing that.”
Campaigning also poses specific challenges for women. “There’s a lot of canine imagery that is used about women, like ‘pitbull’ and ‘watchdog,’” Taylor said. “You have to have a really tough skin, and until you try it, you don’t know how thick your skin is going to be.”
Women who decide to run for office often face a sexist environment, where more media attention is given to their gender than to their policies, Goldin said, adding that the media scrutinizes a female candidate’s appearance, physical stature, attire and parenting style more than a male candidate’s.
While male candidates also have their appearances scrutinized, it is the voters’ response to this type of media attention that makes the difference, Taylor said, citing a 2013 study conducted by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. According to the study, remarks on a female candidate’s appearance — whether positive or negative — negatively affect how voters perceive that candidate.
Voters may perceive female candidates as “frivolous or less serious” after their appearance is mentioned, Taylor said. The study shows that the same does not occur when a male candidate’s appearance is scrutinized.
“Already this election cycle Raimondo has been described as being ‘pint-sized,’” Goldin said. “I’m not exactly sure what her physical stature has to do with her capacity to run for governor or be an effective governor, but it only draws attention to the fact that she does not look like the standard-issue politician, which is the middle-aged white man.”
But despite all the challenges they may face, there are women who are “absolutely willing” to take on the challenge of a male-dominated political environment, Goldin said.
“I think people are ready for change in the state,” said Nicole Kayner, spokeswoman for the Raimondo campaign. “They’re ready for someone to go in and get things done and not have the same-old, same-old.”
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