Who's On Your List?

Last Saturday, at the U.S. National Committee UN Women Annual Conference, Emily Martin (NWLC's Vice President and General Counsel, and my boss for the summer) spoke on a panel about women's political participation, domestically and abroad. The other panelists were Laura A. Liswood, Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders, Tiffany Dufu, President of The White House Project, and Farah Pandith, the Department of State's Special Representative to Muslim Communities — a group of women who have been there, done that when it comes to political participation and leadership.

NWLC's particular role on the panel was to speak about CEDAW, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. One of CEDAW's primary goals is to increase women's political participation — and it has been effective in doing just that in countries like Kuwait and Rwanda. Today, the United States remains one of only six countries in the world that haven't ratified the treaty; our illustrious co-holders-out include Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Tonga, and Palau. Why haven't we ratified CEDAW? Maybe because CEDAW promotes women's reproductive health, which in our strange domestic political context causes many to eye it with suspicion. Maybe because of the persistent claim — and this is just silly — that ratification of CEDAW would eliminate Mother's Day. (Do I even need to explain that it wouldn't? Over 100 countries around the world that have ratified CEDAW celebrate Mother's Day.) In any case, CEDAW remains un-ratified, and American women remain un-benefited by the good work that it does.

So, the audience asked the panel, in the absence of CEDAW, what can we do to help support women's political participation and leadership here in the US? After all, women currently make up less than 18% of Congress — surely we can do better. My favorite suggestion came from Farah Pandith: "Keep a list." She noted that she and other women leaders hear over and over from Men In Charge that they want to promote women in leadership positions, they really do, but that they just can't find anyone who's qualified. So, she encouraged women to carry with us a written list (a sticky note on your iPhone would do in a pinch) of the women in your social network, your law school class, your running club, or your workplace that you think should be considered for leadership positions. Update it often, and tailor it to the events you attend and people you meet. Think about the women you know who are just Really Good at the Things They Do, and encourage them — or, as the case may be, volunteer them — to take charge when organizations are looking for leaders. Local leaders become state leaders who become national leaders. Do this enough and we might just get enough votes in the Senate to ratify CEDAW and join the rest of the world!