Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 10, 1 October 1992 — Women in politics [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Women in politics

by Rowena Akana Trustee-at-large

Here we are in one of J the most interesting election years in a long time. The presidential election is wide open and state races are hard to eall too. In Hawai'i, we've got people mnning for mayor! This has to say something about the condition of ■

things around the state and the United States. In thinking along these lines, this opens up a very interesting issue, that is, women in politics. Some would say that women have always been there, if not in elected positions, not far behind as wives of officials or as support staff to officials. But I'm talking about something different. I'm talking about women in politics, women in government positions at all levels. This is becoming a more eommon occurrence, and 1992 will definitely be a record-breaking year for women moving into the once-hallowed

halls of old-boy politics. As we move into this arena, we face incredible odds

against being able to be effective. One has to wonder if the founding fathers in writing the U.S. Constitution meant to include women and minorities in the phrase: "all 'men' are created equal." 1 think not. Where is it written that the government shall be

run by men and men only? If we are indeed the great nation of equality we tout ourselves to be, do we not have the vision to see the need to balance the powers? Our country is made up of more women than men. It seems logical that elected leadership roles would truly represent the population. Yet, here we are with less than 10 percent of females in the federal legislature. Women have only moved into non-traditional roles in record numbers in the past two or three decades, but that is surely enough time to have primed enough women to desire to seek leadership roles in

government. Why then do we still see the great disparity? I, for one, have a few ideas. It has been my experience that onee we get here, we have to fight to prove our abilities all over again. Women, like myself, are judged twice as hard by the public and then again by our peers before we are given responsibility we ean "handle." The suppressing feeling we encounter in day-to-day dealings wastes valuable time and energy that could be put to positive projects. For example, I have spent more time "saving" my committee, the Committee on Sovereignty, from being axed,"fighting" for my vice-chair position, "playing" paperchase with the administration for public information and "guessing" what I would have to protect next, before I could even begin to focus on what I would accomplish in a dav's work.

It is a given that there would be, and even should be differences of opinion between trustees. What I have a problem with is the unequal treatment we receive based upon our sex. How ean it be justifiable to

exclude trustees from conversations, meetings and plans simply because those trustees are female? It reminds me of all the struggles women have had before us, to win their rights into Little League teams, university campuses, poliee forces, the fire departments, and countless other positions onee thought of as "predominantly male" occupations. When will a woman be judged by her.professional ability alone without her femininity coming into question? Far too often women are set aside by male counterparts with the excuse that we are too emotional and don't have the intellect to understand, therefore, we need not be included in decision-making. Hogwash! The double standard used for judging women's eomments must be changed. The merit of an idea must be judged, not the person submitting the idea; to do otherwise minimizes the importance of the person's actions. Strong is strong, male or female, just as assertive is assertive and productive is productive. If we permit this double standard to prevail, valuable eonnnueel on page 23

Trustee Akana from page 1 9

input is in danger of getting lost in mountains of senseless rubbish. It matters not who puts the people on the land, or leads in the sovereignty issue, but rather that the job gets done. I have eome to see that the changes are inevitable, women have begun and will continue to move into the political arena. It is a must if

this country is to survive and thrive. The perceptions of society must be redefined so that man and woman ean work productively side by side, united in the eommon goal of bettering the eondition of all human beings. As I look at the unprecedented number of women vying for office this year, I take heart that there are many, like me, who are searching for a truly equal and better world. We see that the old ways aren't working anymore. Government has gotten so full of itself that no one is minding the people.

Accountability, responsibilitv and commitment to the people are not idealistic traits of times past. They have become the battle cry for our future. As eleeūon time rolls closer and closer, eaeh of us has to take some personal time to reflect on what exactly we are looking for in our leaders. Here in Hawai'i, we have found that maybe Democratic or Republican is not the only option available. Maybe party line is no longer viable to enact positive change for the Hawaiian people. There is a need to look at eaeh candidate and what she/he stands for, what programs she or he supports for Hawai'i. We need to look critically at all the loeal politieal races. This would not only include the OHA election, but all races across the state. We need to be critical of who these candidates are, who supports them, who contributes to their eampaigns, who they represent and foremost, will they represent the needs of the people. When it comes to the OHA races, we need to recognize that it might not be a standard "politieian" who will best represent the needs of the Hawaiian people, but rather, multi-talented people who ean bring professional business skills in the diverse areas needing attention. By voting wisely for our future leaders, we ean help mold the image of our and our children's future. Aloha pumehana.