Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Will Women Gain Seats?: The 2012 Election And The Representation Of Women In The Massachusetts Legislature, Paige Ransford, Meryl Thomson

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston released this fact sheet just prior to the November 2012 general election. Currently, just less than one quarter (24.5%) of Massachusetts legislators are female, putting Massachusetts behind all other New England states when it comes to the election of women to state legislative office. Vermont has the highest percentage (38.9%) of women in its legislature in the New England region.

Women’S Political Leadership In Massachusetts, Paige Ransford, Meryl Thomson, Sarah Healey

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP) at UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies has been tracking the election of women at the municipal level in Massachusetts since 1996. In 2003, the Project expanded to include all New England states. CWPPP remains the only research center in the United States that regularly tracks women’s political representation at the local level.

Is Dismissing The Precautionary Principle The Manly Thing To Do? Gender And The Economics Of Climate Change, Julie Nelson

Julie A. Nelson

Many public debates about climate change now focus on the economic "costs" of taking action. When called on to advise about these, many leading mainstream economists downplay the need for care and caution on climate issues, forecasting a future with infinitely continued economic growth. This essay highlights the roles of binary metaphors and cultural archetypes in creating the highly gendered, sexist, and age-ist attitudes that underlie this dominant advice. Gung-ho economic growth advocates aspire to the role of The Hero, rejecting the conservatism of The Old Wife. But in a world that is not actually as safe and predictable as …

Somerville Commission For Women: 2012 Women’S Needs Survey, Heather Macindoe, Valerie Berger

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Somerville Commission for Women was created in March 1988 by City ordinance. It focuses on programming aimed at anti-violence, financial literacy, empowerment, coalition building, and legislation relating to women. It was recognized by Massachusetts House of Representatives on its 10th anniversary for outstanding service in advocacy for women, opposition to domestic violence, and working for social justice.

Participatory Action Research Fellowship For Women Of Color Leaders Project, Christa Kelleher, Ileana Cintrón, Center For Women In Politics And Public Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

This project is a partnership with the Women’s Pipeline for Change which aims to build a sustainable infrastructure to support women of color as they enter public life. Five community leaders from all regions of the Commonwealth are CWPPP Research Fellows conducting research rooted in their experiences. Findings from their individual projects and the broader innovative fellowship project serve as the foundation for web-based resources designed to provide inspiration, insights, and guidance to women of color in Massachusetts and beyond.

Commentary: Creating A Pipeline For A More Inclusive Democracy, Joyce Ferriabough

Trotter Review

After the 2010 elections, the number of women holding elective office in Massachusetts plummeted to 1998 levels, with women comprising only 24 percent of all officeholders and 20 percent of local elected officials.

The figures for women of color who were officeholders were even starker: They held only 2 percent of elected offices, despite people of color comprising more than 20 percent of the state’s population. Women of color who are current officeholders in Massachusetts are typically the “first and only.” In the state senate, there is one woman of color, Sonia Chang-Diaz. She is the first Latina woman to …