This year, three Utah women – Mia Love, Donna McAleer and Luz Robles – are running for U.S. Congressional seats, presenting a unique opportunity for dialogue on the need for female engagement in Utah politics.
This will be the topic of a free panel discussion hosted by the Utah Women’s Giving Circle, in collaboration with the Community Foundation of Utah, and moderated by the Salt Lake Tribune’s Jennifer Napier-Pearce on September 3rd at the Utah Law and Justice Center.
The panel will feature all three U.S. Congressional candidates as well as Dr. Susan Madsen, Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Utah Valley University and founder of the Utah Women Leadership Project; Natalie Gochnour, Associate Dean of the David Eccles School of Business and Chief Economist to the Salt Lake Chamber; and Sarah Nitta, a 2012 candidate for State House District 27 and the former Executive Director of the Utah GOP’s Women’s Leadership Initiative.
Ranking 44th in the nation for female representation across all elected offices, just 16.3% of Utah’s state legislators are women, there are no women in elected statewide offices, and Utah lacks female representation at the federal level.
Although Utah was once a leader in the women’s suffrage movement, granting women the right to vote in 1870, well ahead of the 19th constitutional amendment in 1920, Utah has never once been represented by a female in the U.S. Senate and has only elected three women to Congress.
Dr. Madsen has recently completed research briefs on the status of Utah women across a broad range of sectors, including Utah politics. She emphasized the importance of this event, “It is absolutely critical for the state of Utah that more women step forward to seek and serve in political offices. The research is clear that when more women are present, institutions show improvement in governance and financial performance.”
Dr. Madsen’s research brief, The Status of Women in Utah Politics, can be accessed here: http://www.uvu.edu/uwlp/docs/
The event is free, but seating is limited. Registration can be accessed through The Utah Women’s Giving Circle website: www.utahwomensgivingcircle.
The Utah Women’s Giving Circle grows opportunities for Utah women and girls by leveraging small, individual donations into high impact grants to local programs and increasing awareness through member-driven community events like this one. For more information, go to www.utahwomensgivingcircle.com
