Member of TN BPW/USA

Beth Bates honored by the Tennessee Economic Council on Women

The Tennessee Economic Council on Women sponsored the first Economic Summit for women in Tennessee on December 3, 2004, at the Nashville Marriott.  New research on the status of women in the counties was revealed.  Overall Tennessee ranks 50^th in a national report on the status of women.  Tennessee women rank 46^th in employment, 42^nd in economic autonomy, and 50^th in political participation, yet 68% of women with children under the age of 6 are working.  Tennessee women earn less than men in 99% of all occupations and earn an average of $26,900 annually, compared to $35,800 for Tennessee men (facts derived from the summit brochure).  The summit offered this new research, outstanding networking opportunities, and knowledge about mentoring programs, financial literacy, non-traditional careers, and the economic impact of domestic violence.  The atmosphere was akin to one of the best national BPW conventions: empowering, almost heady.  

Many participants were met by BPW President Elect Joyce Brokaw who worked registration and was active on a planning committee.  Quinetta Long, BPW Reality Store Chair presented as a speaker in the financial literacy for girls session.  She was very well received, as was Sandra Bennett, District IV Region II director who spoke about grassroots lobbying during the legislative action session.  Sandra also told us that she has been appointed to serve on the 2005-2006 BPW/USA Issues Management Committee.  Gail Humphrey represented us well balancing her work as an employment counselor on contract with DHS and as Vice President of BPW.  She was able to introduce herself to her Commissioner Gina Lodge who had just testified about the economic effects of domestic violence on Families First participants at a public hearing.  Patrician Thompson of East Memphis BPW networked on behalf of desperately needed Continuation of Insurance bill.  Immediate Past State President Barbara Dean networked with members of her development district and supported us all.  Other members may have been present, but inadvertently overlooked. 

At the banquet following the Summit, the Commissioner of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau spoke, and Andrea Conte, First Lady of Tennessee presented 18 “E” awards 3 for each Grand Division of the state in 6 categories:  Arts, Community Service, Business, Teen Leaders, Education, Government and Public Service.  Sandra Bennett was nominated in the last category for Middle Tennessee.  The competition was extremely tough; fellow BPW member of Greater Nashville, Mary Frances Lyle, won instead.  Our local Beth Bates won in the Government and Public Service division for the Western Grand division.  The “E” awards recognized women from across Tennessee who have distinguished themselves in a specific field or life commitment that has contributed to improving the lives of girls and women in Tennessee.

BPW/USA Legislative Hotline

1* BPW/PAC had a very successful Election 2004, as over half of the BPW/PAC endorsees were either elected or re-elected to Congress.  Overall the 2004 election brought a record number of women to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 109th Congress.  Eight new women were elected, bringing the total number of women to 68, including 3 Delegates.  Of that number, 23 are Republicans and 45 are Democrats. Additionally, a record 139 women were candidates for a seat in the House.  Overall in the Senate, no new women were elected leaving the total number of women serving in the Senate at 14.

2* The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce has filed a complaint against the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and SBA Administrator Hector Barreto in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

As part of the SBA reauthorization in 2000, Congress passed what was originally titled the “Equity in Contracting for Women of 2000” Act. The purpose of this Act is to “allow contracts, in industries historically underrepresented by women-owned small businesses, to be reserved for competition by women-owned small businesses.”  Congress issued this mandate on December 21, 2000 yet nearly four years have passed and the SBA has unreasonably delayed its response to this mandate. The SBA has set, orally and in writing, a series of deadlines for accomplishing the steps necessary to implement this program, and all of these deadlines have been missed. Additionally, the Administrator of the SBA recently informed leaders of the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce that he has no intention of implementing the program. 

BPW/USA supports the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce complaint that this mandate has not been followed through and ignored.  BPW/USA, whose membership includes thousands of small business owners, recognizes that by not implementing the “Equity in Contracting for Women in 2000” Act women small business owners will not achieve a higher level of needed access to government contracts. 

3* The National Partnership for Women and Families has posted a petition on its website in support of the “Healthy Families Act”.  This work-life balance piece of legislation would provide full-time employees with a minimum of seven days of paid sick leave to be used to recover from their own illness, or care for a sick family member.  It also benefits businesses by lowering employee turnover costs and ensuring that a healthy, productive workforce is on the job. 

The petition will be sent to all Members of Congress in order to display the support of families nationwide for better policies addressing their needs to balance work and family.  To sign the petition please go to:  http://www.nationalpartnership.org/Default.aspx?tabid=114

More Women Need to Run for Office

Connie Schultz, Plain Dealer Columnist

Monday, November 01, 2004

The moment the Vietnam War became the hot issue in this presidential race, the women of America became invisible. For weeks, we were eliminated from the debate as two privileged men from Yale and their minions duked it out: Who fought and who did not? Who's a hero and who is not? Were the medals for true courage or a fraud?

Most women shook their heads in disbelief and disgust. Worriers that we are, we had other concerns on our minds:  We are a country at war. We've lost more than a thousand of our soldiers, who left behind thousands more who grieve. Millions of Americans have no health care. We've abandoned entire public school districts. Jobless numbers are staggering. The poor and many elderly are forced to choose between basic necessities and life-saving medication.

But there they were, fighting over who fought and who did not in a war we lost 30 years ago.  There is only one way women will ever steer the direction of this country. We can't do it from the sidelines. We must risk center stage, which is a big leap for most women who are socialized to blend in.

Right now, women are only 14 percent of the U.S. Senate and 13.6 percent of the House of Representatives. And if you think it's usually a bunch of guys yakking on those all-important Sunday morning political talk shows, you're right. Only 11 percent of the guests are women, reports Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics. We are a whisper in a world of shouts.

More women must run for public office, and more women must work to help them win.   Marie Wilson, president of the White House Project and the Ms. Foundation for Women, has written a sobering but inspiring book for anyone interested in transforming the culture of our country. "Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World," is packed with data that illustrate why women don't run for public office and why we must.

"We set the bar so high for ourselves," Wilson said last week. "We think we can't run for office unless we know absolutely everything about that job. Men don't do that. They figure that what they don't know, they'll learn."   Men "wake up in the morning and ask themselves if they should run for president," she said. "Women need a drum roll and a draft before they even begin thinking about it." Wilson cites a study by three political scientists confirming this gender difference. Thirty-seven percent of male candidates polled said it was their own idea to run for office. They saw or met an elected official and concluded: I can do that.

Only 11 percent of female candidates, though, said they decided on their own to run. Nearly 40 percent of the women candidates said they didn't even think of running until someone else brought it up. Many women, Wilson said, fear that running for office makes them look ambitious. Too often, it's their female friends who are quick to put them in their place.   "It happened to me," Wilson said. "I'd mention my interest in a particular position, and my women friends would say, 'Do you really think you can do that?' "

We need more women who can answer that question with an unequivocal yes.  And so, on the eve of this most important election, I have a request.   When you leave the polls tomorrow, think about the few women who were on the ballot. Then think of the strong, capable women you know who could change that equation.

Most of us can name the women leaders in our community. They are the PTA president and the entrepreneur, the community activist and the full-time volunteer. These women raise money and hope, but never the possibility that they themselves could be the answer.

We can change that with a single conversation that begins with, "Have you ever thought of running?"   Let's start that conversation today.

 To reach this Plain Dealer columnist:     cschultz@plaind.com, 216-999-5087

Recommended Web Surfing:

 “And They’re Off”:  Visit the website to review a new FMLA law in California, addressing paid leave;  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_44/b3906675.htm