Women’s Political Empowerment

Women’s Political Empowerment A Century After the 19th Amendment: Reflections by Women Mayors

By Carly Berke

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified exactly 100 years ago, is one of the most important victories in the history of women’s rights, given it confirmed that “the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” One century later, women have made tremendous progress in all facets of society, including politics and public policy. But they still face enormous challenges and lack representation on multiple levels – for instance, only 21% of cities with a population over 30,000 have female mayors. 

On September 17th, the Initiative on Cities invited three Massachusetts mayors, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller of Newton, Mayor Donna Holaday of Newburyport, and Mayor Yvonne Spicer of Framingham, to reflect on their experiences on the campaign trail and in public office and discuss the challenges that women face in political leadership. The panel was moderated by Virginia Sapiro, Professor of Political Science and Dean Emerita of Arts & Sciences and was co-sponsored by the Howard Thurman Center, the Political Science Department, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and BU College Democrats.

Dr. Sapiro opened the panel by recounting the origin story of principal women’s rights activists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, abolitionists who were barred from participating in an anti-slavery convention in London in 1840 because they were women.

“They realized their devotion to ending slavery and their commitment to bringing equality was hampered by the fact that, although white and their families were financially comfortable, they themselves had no rights at all,” said Sapiro. 

Enraged by the lack of gender equality, Stanton later organized what would become the Seneca Fall Convention, the first women’s rights convention (although the convention itself was chaired by Stanton’s husband, as Dr. Sapiro added pointedly – it would be “inappropriate for a woman to chair”). In the 70 years following the Seneca Falls Convention, women across the country fought tirelessly to expand women’s rights and secure the right to vote. And finally, on August 26th, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

But in reflection 100 years later, inequality is still apparent at every level of government; as Dr. Sapiro recited, women outvote men but only hold 24% of seats in Congress, 18% of governorships, and 29% of state legislatures. 

Dr. Sapiro then turned to her three panelists, all of whom were ready to engage in a discussion about their experience in public office.

Mayor Donna Holaday, a Boston University alumna, is serving her fourth term as Mayor of Newburyport, where she has prioritized infrastructure and capital projects. She first entered public service working at a state institution that served people with disabilities, where she was appalled by the conditions and galvanized into taking action. After heading back to school to get a law degree, she became a city councillor, where she was motivated to run for mayor and drive change in a stagnant cycle of weak public leadership.

“Infrastructure was crumbling, our schools were a mess. So I had to roll up my sleeves and say, ‘we have a major problem here’.” said Holaday. 

Newburyport, a city along the Merrimack River about 40 miles north of Boston, has a population of 18,000. In the past 10 years, Mayor Holaday has generated over $150 million in funding for infrastructure renewal projects including a new senior community center, a Newburyport High School stadium, and a harbormaster boater facility, among several other projects.

In addition to fighting gentrification and increasing transparency and engagement in her community, Mayor Holaday advocates for urban development that maintains original structure and culture. She credited one of her predecessors, Mayor Peter Matthews, who met with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington, D.C. to advocate that urban renewal does not always equate to demolition and recognition, but can go hand in hand with preservation.

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller is the first woman elected to the position in Newton, where she seeks to bring diverse perspectives to her decision making. She’s worked on making the city more accessible for all residents, regardless of age or disability and making the city more enjoyable through arts initiatives and the promotion of clean energy.

Mayor Fuller emphasized that she took a circuitous route to her position in leadership, and that there’s no one path to follow to seek elected office. After earning an MBA at Harvard Business School, she worked in in business for several years, first in the private sector as a management consultant and then transitioning into the non-profit sector, where she became Manager of Strategic Planning for WGBH. She became increasingly involved in community development efforts, first in Brookline and then later in Newton, where she joined the city council and ultimately made the decision to run for Mayor.

Newton, a city of 88,000 right outside of Boston, is well known for its excellent schools, which Mayor Fuller considers “the essence of Newton.” She expressed her gratitude for Newton residents being an active population, and she stressed it’s a very tight knit community. 

Because of its ideal proximity to Boston and strong education system, Newton has been hampered by rising housing prices, meaning middle and working class families have been prevented from moving into the community. Newton has also seen an increase in its senior population, with 30% of residents falling within the senior demographic. 

“Meeting the needs of our seniors and their children are really top of mind for me as a Mayor,” said Fuller. 

Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer is the first Mayor of the city of Framingham and the first African American woman to be popularly elected in the state of Massachusetts. 

She worked for 16 years as a teacher in Framingham, where she taught drafting, architecture, graphic arts and photography, ultimately becoming the Chair of Technology Education for Framingham Public Schools. After holding positions in the Massachusetts Department of Education and Newton Public Schools, she became the Vice President for Advocacy and Educational Partnerships at the Museum of Science, where she interfaced between policymakers, municipalities, business leaders, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations in an attempt to promote science literacy and science education.

Mayor Spicer recounted the moment she first decided to join public service: during a local city council election, she wrote herself in on the ballot after she was dismayed to discover the ballot was empty of candidates. From there, she was encouraged to run for mayor, which, as she explained, was a chance to draw on all of her past experiences.

“This was an opportunity to bring everything I had learned professionally as a teacher and as an administrator and working at a non-profit, and I thought about how valuable they are to being a mayor. And I said let’s go for it. 

A city of about 75,000 people, Framingham is 70% white and 5% African American, with a significant Latino percentage and a strong Brazilian community.

“Framingham is very complex. We’re very quick to say we celebrate our diversity but when I took office, 91% of the people working in city government were white. Whatever tape you have in your mind about black women or black people, that’s going to activate,” said Mayor Spicer. “Part of what I try to do is disarm that tape – turn it off, tear it out, and give you something you’ve never seen before.”

When asked to discuss the way gender has played a role in their careers, commonalities between their experiences in public office quickly emerged.

“There’s research that shows once a political leader walks into a room, the first thing they notice is gender, the second is age, and third is similarity to oneself regarding race, class, origin, etc.”, started Mayor Fuller. 

Women still face scrutiny for their dress, a challenge with which men have never had to grapple. Moreover, for women to win elections, they have to be both liked and respected; there is a “likeability” factor on the campaign trail that never hampers men.

As an African American woman, Mayor Spicer expanded on the challenges she faces unique to her gender and race. She has made a concerted effort to make Framingham a diverse and welcoming community, and she has been quick to hire staff of all ages and backgrounds.

“I think it’s important that the demographics of your environment reflect what you want your city to embody. And I want my city to be welcoming to all,” said Spicer. “I think it’s important to nurture those different personalities. I’m giving young women the opportunity to see through a different lens. And that’s one of the things I’ve very tried very hard to do is to use this seat to be the voice that my grandmother or great-grandmother could never imagine.” 

They also touched on the impact of social media and the way in which women are targeted through platforms like Facebook and Twitter. While this holds universal to both male and female political leaders, women face increasingly sexualized and racialized violence; because social platforms have enable anonymity, there’s an increase in bodily horror and targeted threats.

But they were quick to offer solutions to overcome gender barriers in politics, which includes empowering other women who are interested in stepping into leadership roles.

Mayor Holaday emphasized that she believes women are much better at multitasking, which is a tremendous asset for a position in public office.

Mayor Spicer urged that women in leadership must mentor and encourage younger women as they prepare for their career. She is a graduate of Emerge Massachusetts, an organization that helps mobilize young Democratic women who are interested in running for office.

“If we’re not building it ourselves, it’s not going to happen,” said Mayor Spicer. “Get behind other women. Encourage them always.”

Mayor Fuller detailed her experience working directly in the community and connecting personally with her constituents, through which she hopes to change the public mindset of what a mayor does and how she fulfills that role.

“I’m conscious about being present [in my community], interacting with and talking one-on-one and having their minds changed about who a mayor is,” said Mayor Fuller.

While each Mayor has already broken boundaries in politics and can boast incredible achievement in their community, Dr. Sapiro closed by posing an important question: what do you hope to be remembered for?

“For me it is [being] the consensus builder. I’m getting it done.” said Mayor Holaday.

“For caring about the vulnerable and needy, and for looking after the children and seniors,” said Mayor Fuller.

And for Framingham’s first mayor, “That [I] did my best by everyone [I] encountered, and that [I] lead with integrity. That [I] set the bar high.”