Op-ed: Women experts in democracy must be at the table

Here is an excerpt from the article: 

We have more women serving as elected officials in the United States than ever before, which is a noteworthy achievement. Getting more women into politics, though, is only the first step.

Simply having more women in these spaces does not always mean we’re being welcomed with open arms. Since women are still underrepresented in most political spaces, we have to navigate them carefully, strategically and oftentimes alone. RepresentWomen’s new resource, the Women Experts in Democracy Directory, is here to help bring more women to the table.

When Johana Bencomo was first elected to the Las Cruces City Council in 2020 and sat on the Utilities Board, she was the only woman, with the rest of her colleagues being almost all white men. For two years, she was the only woman on the board. When we spoke with Bencomo about that time, she explained how she felt like an outsider:

“Being the only one of anything is heavy, you feel pressure and out of place. ... When I'm in those spaces, I think, 'How is no one saying it's only men or only white people? And why does no one notice that something is off?'”

From not being taken seriously to not getting votes for leadership positions within the board, the impact of being the only woman in the room was undoubtedly felt.

This is what it’s like for a vast majority of women, from elected officials to scholars to grassroots activists. The prevalence of all-male spaces and panels sends a message, intentional or not, that women are not experts and that there are no women qualified to speak on a given topic.

Read the full article here.