Mission
She Should Run is dedicated to helping women build the skills and infrastructure they need to become more effective leaders in public life.
Why we need more women
It is essential to the health and future of our country that 50% of our population have equal power and leadership. SSR is dedicated to helping this country achieve equality in public life for women.
Where we stand today
Despite our progress, women still lag far behind men in local, state, and federal office:
- Women hold only 17% of the seats in Congress
- State Legislatures only have 23% women
- Only 6 out of 50 states have a female governor
The United States trails behind the rest of the world - ranking 87th in the number of women in our national legislature.*
Also, women are 50% less likely than men to seriously consider running for office, less likely than men actually to run for office, and far less likely to run for higher office. (Lawless and Fox 2005).
Our She Should Run in Action program informs individuals about the state of women in public office and mobilizes them to take action. Our online movement provides a tool to formally ask women to consider entering public life. The result is a pipeline of women eager to learn more about a career in politics, from school boards to state legislatures to congress. It is party-neutral and designed with massive impact in mind.
Research
Research continues to show the positive influence that women's unique leadership style has on decision making. It's proven that women legislate differently - perhaps more effectively - than men. They're more likely to collaborate and ensure a win-win decision. Also, women tend to run for office because they want to get something done, not for the pure sport of politics.
In a Washington Post article, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman pointed to research showing that Fortune 500 companies with more women at the top outperformed those that didn’t:
"Gender stereotypes aren’t politically correct, but the research broadly finds that testosterone can make men more prone to competition and risk-taking. Women, on the other hand, seem to be wired for collaboration, caution and long-term esults."
Research from the National Council for Research on Women confirms this, saying that women consider different issues and are more collaborative while making decisions, which leads to more win-win outcomes. But this can’t happen when there aren’t enough women at the table:
“When women do reach decision-making positions, it is not until they constitute a critical mass upwards of 30% that they are no longer perceived as representative of a special interest, but rather as full members of the group.”
*The United States is ranked 70th in the study, but is behind 86 other countries when accounting for ties.
