Broadcast by Kyra Miles
Graphic by Valentina Arismendi
2020 was a record year for women in politics. Kamala Harris is the first woman of color to be Vice President. Stacey Abrams led the fight against voter suppression in Georgia, and a record number of women hold state legislative positions in America. However, in North Carolina women are still working to be recognized in politics. Kyra Miles reports.
MILES: As a newly elected member of the General Assembly, Senator Sydney Batch finds a new work-life balance.
BATCH: I wear lots of hats. I’m a mom of two kids. My boys are seven and 10. I am a practicing family law attorney in Raleigh….
MILES: The Raleigh Democrat is joining a class of 43 women in the state legislature, but nationally North Carolina has a failing grade. According to the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, North Carolina received a D-rating for women’s participation and representation in politics.
BATCH: We still have a system that is set up for the success of men in politics much more than women.
MILES: Research from the Center for American Women and Politics found that women candidates often have to actively be recruited while men are often self-starters. Part of the issue is that being a legislator is a part-time job in North Carolina with a full-time workload.
BATCH: I honestly work three to four nights a week after I put my kids to bed at 8:30. I work until about midnight because that’s the only way that I can juggle both the job that I need to do that pays the bills, and then also not shirking the responsibility of legislatively.
MILES: Sarah Preston is the Executive Director at Lillian’s List, an organization that helps women like Batch run for office in North Carolina with funding, training, and promotion.
PRESTON: There’s research that actually shows that having a really robust pipeline, right, having people who run at the local level, and then kind of move up is one of the quickest ways to make an impact at a higher level and sort of getting closer to equity.
MILES: But, Lillian’s List generally pushes progressive women through the pipeline. In 2010, Republican redistricting led to fewer women legislators in North Carolina. These new lines created more rural districts with conservative values. Those districts, especially 11 years ago, were less likely to elect women, and women in the same districts were running against each other.
PRESTON: There has never been the same attention by Republicans or conservatives on recruiting women to run for office the way there has been on the progressive side.
MILES: For the first time, this year Republican members elected a woman for senate majority leader. However, Iredell and Yadkin county Republican —Senator Vickie Sawyer doesn’t want her gender to be a deciding factor in elections.
SAWYER: I think women put barriers on themselves. I don’t want someone to vote for me because I’m a woman, I want somebody to vote for me because I’m good. I do not want to use gender as a crutch. I want to use it as an enablement tool.
MILES: Sawyer isn’t sure why Republicans don’t offer as many political resources for women, but as a part of the Republican Women’s Caucus Sawyer encourages other women who share her values to run for office.
SAWYER: I think it’s gonna take folks who are in the twilight of their political career, who are females, both Republican and Democrat, to reach out in their communities and define those next-generation leaders, and to enable them and encourage them to go for it.
MILES: Emily’s List is a national organization dedicated to encouraging women to run for office. As Vice President of Communications Christina Reynolds helps women all over the country prepare for political leadership.
REYNOLDS: It’s important for the government to look like and be like the people that it represents. We think having the voices of all of the people offers us the best opportunity to protect the rights and the needs of all Americans.
MILES: Women make up 25% of the General Assembly, yet they make up over 50% of the population. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that women legislators are more likely to cooperate across party lines, especially with bills that focus on health, education, and social welfare. Another study found that women in minority parties are better at passing bills than their male counterparts.
REYNOLDS: The future is bright for women in North Carolina. But we’ve got some ground to make up.
MILES: Women in North Carolina have been voting at higher rates every election year, but representation has still declined. At the current rate of change, the Institute of Women’s Policy Research predicts it will be 2084 before women have equal representation in the state legislature. In Greenville, I’m Kyra Miles.
