Put A Woman In Charge
The silver lining to the monstrous storm cloud of the past two years is the millions of women speaking out and fighting back against the abuse and oppression that has been the status quo since, well, forever. The 2016 election is likely the most galvanizing single event for women in modern US history, spurring the #MeToo movement, the Women’s March, and unprecedented political engagement.
Record numbers of women are running for office this year, making up 26% of candidates compared to 16% in 2016. Even before seeing the election results, we know this is good news. The obstacle to women’s representation in government hasn’t been that women don’t win — it’s that they don’t run. Women candidates are just as, and sometimes more, likely to win their elections as their male counterparts, but are substantially less likely to run for office in the first place.
Women are doing more than just running — they’re voting, too. Women consistently make up a larger share of the voting population than men, and women of color, in particular, are consistently strong supporters of progressive candidates. This year, polling shows 63% of women favor Democratic candidates.
c3 board member Rosanne Cash recently teamed up with fellow Grammy winner Keb’ Mo’ on a song that aptly captures this moment. “Put a Woman in Charge” advocates for just that — a sentiment that is piercingly poignant given the opportunity lost in 2016. But course correction is exactly the message: “here we are / standing on the brink of disaster / enough is enough is enough is enough / I know the answer”, the duo sings.
We couldn’t agree more. It’s time for our government to look more like our country (which is over 50% female, by the way) So, when you’re voting like hell on November 6th, we hope you have Rosanne and Keb’ stuck in your head, singing in chorus, “put a woman in charge, put a woman in charge…”
