Panel
Women in Elective Office
Milken InstituteCrystal Ball, Mimi Walters, Lauren Leader Chivay, Tulsi Gabbard, Laura Cox Kaplan, Crystal Lambert, Jane Hollandery, Carolyn Jungermann Bennett Jr., FEMALE SPEAKER 1
- Congresswoman Mimi Walters anticipates building a bench of female Republican candidates, potentially fielding a female vice-presidential nominee if a male presidential candidate is selected, and expects to mentor young women, including her 21-year-old daughter, while noting that women currently donate less to campaigns than men and that the Republican party lacks the financial infrastructure comparable to the Democratic side's Emily's List.
- Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard predicts a female president will become imminent within one or two election cycles, strengthening the societal norm of women in the White House, though she warns this may not immediately change the reality for women, reduce the need for engagement efforts, or ensure women vote solely based on gender; she also expects amendments to the upcoming annual defense bill regarding women in combat roles and identifies a disconnect between millennials and government issues like taxes and college debt.
- Lauren Leader Chivay projects a tipping point for gender representation is approaching but notes that current numbers of women viewing leadership as a career goal are abysmal, with women half as likely to write op-eds as men and a perception that the political system is broken, while also highlighting that women are one-third less likely to self-identify as qualified to run despite equal qualifications and that millennials often choose non-profits over corporate roles.
- Laura Cox Kaplan expects organizations like PwC to adopt holistic diversity strategies similar to internal talent cultivation, anticipating a need to replace 2 million fewer letters from women compared to men annually, and urges women controlling household budgets to direct more funds to political causes as men assume women already contribute sufficiently.
- Panelists express expectations that men are one-third more likely to view themselves as qualified to run for office than women, that women are more prone to second-guessing their qualifications, and that the "women can have it all" narrative requires active reinforcement; additionally, there is an expectation to energize young women and business leaders, particularly in Silicon Valley, to enter the political pipeline.
- A male speaker expects voters generally select the best candidate regardless of gender, though running against a woman may present unique challenges, and notes that while Carly Fiorina lacks political experience, some of the most vocal proponents of gun rights in the Nevada legislature are women.
- The discussion includes plans to address the decline in conversations about women's leadership since the mid-1970s, the need for corporate women to transition into government to fill the leadership pipeline, and the necessity for older generations to serve as mentors to engage young people in politics.
- Risks identified include the potential for electing a female president to create a false sense that further work on female political engagement is unnecessary, the difficulty of solving the qualification gap with a single solution, and the disconnect between the public good and public service perceptions among millennials.