Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • State Government
  •  

Up Against the Ceiling: The California Legislature Is Losing Women

  •  Katie Orr 
Thursday, October 23, 2014 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
  
1017-Women -in -Politics -badge

This story is the final part of our three-part series on women in California politics, Up Against the Ceiling: The Push for More Women in California Politics. 

 

It’s a Saturday afternoon in San Diego and Democratic Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins sits in the courtyard of a popular neighborhood restaurant. She’s holding what amounts to office hours at a picnic table. She takes a few minutes out to reflect on efforts to increase diversity in the legislature.

"we spend a lot time talking about how to make that happen for ethnic groups and LGBT and Asians and all those issues," she says. "But I think people are sort of not thinking about the gender diversity and the fact that we are seriously losing women."

Of the 120 seats in the Legislature, 32 are currently held by women. Atkins expects a loss of at least one woman after the November election. And with term limits and the power of incumbency, if that loss isn’t made up for in the next election, she says it could be a decade before the legislature could get close to gender parity.



Democratic Senator Holly Mitchell shares Atkins’ concerns.

"This sort of snuck up on us. That a number of key women who are former state legislators didn’t go away. They are still on the scene. They transitioned to Congress," she says. "And so it took a minute before people began to realize that we were losing real numbers because they kept seeing these same names on the scene."

Mitchell is also concerned about the racial make-up of the women serving in the Senate. She’s one of just three female minorities and just the fourth female black senator since statehood. Mitchell predicts changing that won’t be easy.

"Everyone will buy into the rhetoric around the value of diversity and the unique perspective women bring to decision making," she says. "But, you know, no one wants to share power. Power has to be taken."

Yet Democratic Senator Hannah Beth Jackson says, in her experience, women don’t come to Sacramento to gain influence the way some men do.

"There are always exceptions but generally the women come up here interested in the policy," she says. "They’re not interested in the power."

She says women are typically drawn to the state legislature after noticing a problem within their community.



Assembly Republican Leader Kristen Olsen says she first became interested in running for her seat while on the Modesto City Council.

"The time that I ran, back in 2010, our biggest threat as a city was the state of California," she say. "Those were the times of deep budget cuts and the state kept balancing its budget on the backs of cities, counties and schools."

It was a big decision for Olsen to run, in part because she and her husband have three small children. She says she knew many men running for the legislature who had children the same age or younger than her own.

"And never once at any of the forums we attended or in any of the newspaper articles did I ever see them asked, are they going to be able to do it and still be a good father," she says. "And, at first it was very frustrating because I was asked that constantly."

 Olsen says she eventually decided to acknowledge people’s concerns and reassure them her children would be taken care of. And she says it’s important for women, especially mothers, to let other women know that it is possible to serve and still fulfill all your other responsibilities.

"Particularly young women who are just now in college or in high school and thinking about what they want to do as they grow older, to not set barriers in front of themselves. And to realize what they can do instead of constantly thinking about limits," she says.

Young women could be key to creating gender parity. 75 percent of women in the Legislature first served on city councils or boards of supervisors, which are often training grounds for Sacramento. Still, women make up less than 30 percent of elected officials in state, county and city offices. And Speaker Atkins acknowledges that many women, including her, have to be asked to run.

"So I’m asking," she says. "Run women, run!"



Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    More about election 2014

  • Election 2014

    Related Stories

  • Melody Stone / Capital Public Radio

    Up Against The Ceiling: The Push For More Women In California Politics

    Tuesday, October 21, 2014
    In this three-part series on women in California politics, CapRadio's Katie Orr reports on the challenges women face as they try to break through the political glass ceiling

 election 2014votewomen in politicsUp Against The Ceiling

Katie Orr

Former Health Care Reporter

Katie Orr reported for Capital Public Radio News through December 2015.  Read Full Bio 

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More State Government Stories

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

January 19, 2021

Harris Will Leave Senate Seat Monday, Set To Return As Tiebreaking Vice President

January 17, 2021

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

Newsom’s $2 Billion School Reopening Fund Could Actually Cost Districts Money

January 23, 2021

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: California’s Ban On Indoor Worship Upheld By Appeals Court

High-Speed Rail In California Moves Along, But Slowly

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

Sacramento County Is Expanding Vaccinations At Cal Expo, But Not Yet For The General Public

Social Media Posts Push False Claims About Kamala Harris And Planned Parenthood

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: California’s Ban On Indoor Worship Upheld By Appeals Court

High-Speed Rail In California Moves Along, But Slowly

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

Sacramento County Is Expanding Vaccinations At Cal Expo, But Not Yet For The General Public

Social Media Posts Push False Claims About Kamala Harris And Planned Parenthood

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.