Illustration by Storyset
By Julia Carden
“I never asked anyone to vote for me because I was a woman, but I would hope that no one would vote against me because I was a woman,” Nancy Pelosi declared in her public remarks following her win as the House Democratic whip in 2001, elevating her to the highest-ranking woman in Congress.
Pelosi was later elected the first female Speaker of the United States House in history in 2007, a position she would hold until 2011 and again from 2019 until 2022.
Although Pelosi set a momentous precedent for gender equality in government throughout her 35-year career, women remain outnumbered and under-represented in all places where decisions are made. Women’s participation and representation in politics have been on the rise for the last decade, however, more and more women who run for public office continue to face interconnected structural challenges in the process.
Several women leaders involved in local government within the region of Northwestern Pennsylvania pointed to several barriers they have faced and continue to face in their professional journey including socio-cultural factors, incumbency advantage, and financial impediments.
Vice Chair of the Erie County Democratic Party Kristy Gnibus, 38, is a champion for women empowerment, social justice issues, and education reform. Gnibus has several years of experience in local government. She has worked on multiple political campaigns and run for several seats herself, including the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District in 2020.
“I’m not saying stop electing men – I’m just saying elect more women. And hearing that can be uncomfortable for some people.” In Gnibus’s experience working with public officials, men elected in political roles are usually qualified, but she said it is “disheartening to see the larger investment going to those candidates rather than women.”
She believes that the number one problem facing women in politics is misogyny.
“Misogyny is number one – and with that – everything falls underneath,” she said.
Gnibus explained that misogynistic attitudes towards women in the political sphere are not solely projected from men, internalized misogyny also plays a part.
“If women supported women the way men supported men we would dominate,” she added.
“There’s just something about what we’ve always seen and that being the better option – whether we know it or not,” she continued. “We’re used to seeing white, cis-gender men in leadership. When we see someone like that running, there is an automatic thought that they are qualified, even if they are not.”
Additionally, research shows that women in public office are more likely to be subject to harassment and discrimination than their male counterparts.
“Women around the world are subjected to physical, sexual, economic, and phycological violence for choosing to participate in politics,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib stated during the introduction of the resolution of violence against women in politics in 2021.
Councilwoman Autumn Vogel, 30, said she experiences backlash for her participation in local government “every single day.” After running a collaborative campaign with Deputy Mayor Larry McKnight in 2019, Vogel was elected the only female representative on the Meadville City Council.
The adverse reactions Vogel received for her participation in the city council were driven by the rejection of her gender, her age, her progressive viewpoints, and her connection to the local private university, Allegheny College. Vogel, who was 26 at the time, was the youngest council member.
“I was the only woman in the room, the youngest by far, and the most progressive by far, I was constantly feeling marginalized,” Vogel said. “It was really, really frustrating with how powerful the inertia was. I was always the lone voice and it got really tiring.”
Now, the Meadville City Council is diverse by design to adequately reflect and represent the city population. However, this trend in diversity is new, Vogel said. Before recent local elections, the council majority was older, white men. Most had been repeatedly re-elected and served consecutive terms.
The councilmen had an incumbency advantage, limiting minority victories. An incumbent is an official who currently holds office. When a challenger nominee runs against an incumbent, the incumbent has an advantage because of fundraising apparatuses, an existing support base, name recognition, access to resources, and a tangible record of success.
“At that time, I was the only woman and Larry was the only person of color. The rest of the council was the same old guard,” Vogel explained. “It was always the same people. Generally, it was older, white men who have money.”
After a negative experience working with an all-male council, it was clear to Vogel that the group majority had no interest in changing the status quo. The solution to the “old boys club” city council, as she described it, was to encourage and support new candidates to run for city council to make meaningful changes in the community. Now, three out of the five council members are women. The city controller and treasurer are both women. Jaime Kinder, sworn-in in 2022, is the first Black female mayor in the city’s history. According to Vogel, the council now dominated by women is increasingly collaborative and communicates effectively to solve problems and address conflicts.
“The diversity of our council is intentional in that it reflects the people that live here. Before, we did not feel like the majority of residents were being adequately represented,” Vogel shared.
While Vogel often experiences backlash in meetings and online, many constituents have since expressed to Vogel that they find the council more approachable and productive with a more present, diverse group. Nevertheless, women in politics face hate speech and discrimination online that in some cases lead them to withdraw from public office.
Financial impediments are another significant challenge that many women in politics face. Gender gaps in resources make it more challenging for women to fund political campaigns, build platforms, and fundraise. Rainbow Murray, Ragnhild Muriaas, and Vibeke Wang studied the gender gap in political campaign financing and its impact on the democratic process in the journal article titled, “Editorial Introduction: Gender and Political Financing” published by the International Political Science Review.
“If only wealthy candidates can afford to run then vast swathes of society are effectively excluded from the democratic process,” the authors wrote.
Male politicians and public officials often have established networking groups and connections that provide access to donors and other forms of support and incentive. On the other hand, women interested in political participation typically start out with fewer resources.
“Women are also disadvantaged by their status as newcomers; male incumbents are better placed to win their elections, while female challengers find it harder to raise funds and gain a foothold,” stated the authors of the political financing article.
There are many innovative solutions political parties should consider implementing to promote gender equity for their candidates and public officials. And many efforts have been made, resulting in historic elections and an increase in women in political leadership roles. To support women in their ranks, parties can integrate gender equality into their mission and develop accountability apparatuses to solidify those objectives.
Delores Hale, Deputy Mayor of Cambridge Springs, PA explained that gender equality in city councils specifically is important in fostering a balanced, nonpartisan environment. Hale has been on the city council for 15 years and has long been involved in the community.
In her experience, she has found women leaders to be more detail-oriented and provide valuable perspectives. According to Hale, differences in opinion voiced by community members and council members are beneficial because the discourse can lead people to examine their positions more critically. Gnibus described women leaders as efficient multi-taskers with the ability to emotionally manage things better than perceived based on gender stereotypes.
“We are told we are too emotional, but the roles that we have been given have prepared us to be very effective in office,” she stated.
All three women found local government and community work to be challenging, but valuable.
Councilwoman Vogel shared that she finds solidarity in her work in local government, “The work I’m doing with the city, while it’s hard, community work is meaningful. It’s a project I share with other people – it’s bigger than myself. And because of that, I feel like I am living a meaningful life,” she said.
Gnibus shared similar reflections on her career in politics and explained that while it is difficult to deal with negativity and backlash, “it’s worth it.”
“It’s exciting when it’s exciting but it’s hard when it’s hard. It’s incredibly taxing on your mental health to be bombarded by awful things,” she said.
Minority representation is especially meaningful for future generations and advancing gender equality by passing consequential legislation on topics that affect women including parental leave, childcare, and education.
“Multiple studies have proven that women are better at reaching across the aisle and bridging the gap, and getting legislation passed. If we want something done, especially in communities that are behind, we need to elect more women,” Gnibus explained.
Future of Work 
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