Not Just a Glass Ceiling

The New York Times
September 10, 2008
Editorial

Women and minorities are not the novelty they once were in Congress, statehouses and legislatures, or even, starting with this election, on the presidential campaign trail. But elective office is still overwhelmingly a white male occupation. A new study suggests that may have less to do with the glass ceiling than with the pipeline: too few women and minorities are being appointed to top state jobs where they can get the experience and the public attention to establish a political career.
The report, from the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society at the State University of New York at Albany, tallied how many women and minorities were appointed by governors in the 50 states to leadership jobs between 1997 and 2007. The answer is: not enough. Of 1,834 top state jobs — including advisers to governors, department and commission heads — 643 were held by female appointees, or about 35 percent of the total. Minorities held less than 16 percent.
Gains varied significantly from state to state. In 15 states, including New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, the number of female department heads doubled from 1997 to 2007. In another 11 states, the number fell, and in Iowa, Alabama and North Carolina, the number of women appointees dropped by more than half. [To read the entire editorial, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/opinion/10wed4.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin ]