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Perspective: While recent attention has been paid to the growing number of women in politics, particularly at the national level, women’s representation in municipal office remains low. In particular, as of 2024 only one in four mayors in U.S. cities with populations over 30k are women. Understanding the history of and current representation of women mayors means recognizing the continued dearth of women leading our local communities and the resulting impact on our daily lives. In this module, we offer resources and ideas for integrating gender into lessons on municipal government and/or creating a lesson solely focused on women and the mayor’s office.
Goal: The goal of this module is to provide resources and ideas that will alter young people’s image of the mayor’s seat as a male/masculine space, while also highlighting the benefits of increasing women’s representation at the local level. Students should be able to identify women’s underrepresentation as a problem for democracy, policy, and the political process, while also learning about female political leaders who may otherwise receive little attention in the curriculum. Doing so will help to normalize the image of women mayors so that the underrepresentation of women is even more apparent to student observers.
Content: To meet these goals, we provide information on the women who have served – and currently serve – as mayors, the challenges women face as candidates and officeholders, and the impact of women’s leadership on politics and policy. We offer resources and activities that highlight women mayors’ achievements and experiences, and push young people to think about municipal government with a gender lens.
Materials
CAWP Fact Sheets
- Women mayors in US 2024 (cities with populations over 30k)
- Women in Municipal Office 2024
- Mayors in the top 100 most populous cities in 2024
- Women office holders by race and ethnicity
Books and Articles
- A Vote for Susanna: The First Woman Mayor (Karen Greenwald) K-5
- Mommy is the Mayor (Letitia Clark) K-5
- Bertha Knight Landes of Seattle: Big-City Mayor (Sandra Haarsager) 9-12 College
- Who Runs the World? Women Mayors (Ms. Magazine) 9-12 College
- How America’s First Female Chinese-American Mayor Fought for Her Community (LAist.com)9-12 College
- Voting Local Matters: Why You Should Vote for Mayor (League of Women Voters) 6-8 9-12 College
- In 1920s, the Now Forgotten Flood of “Girl Mayors” Became the Face of Feminism (Atlas Obscura) 9-12 College
- You’ve Come a Long Way — A History of Women in Politics(National Endowment for the Humanities) 9-12 College
Video and Web Resources
- Sharon Pratt Became DC’s First Black Female Mayor (PBS, July 2018) 6-8 9-12 College
- Interview with Sharon Pratt, 1st Woman Mayor of Washington, DC (March, 2024) 9-12 College
- Teacher and Girl Scout Leader Guides on Susanna Salter (Karen M. Greenwald) K-5 6-89-12 College
- Webinar: Breaking Marble Ceilings: Women, Power, and the Mayor’s Office (Center for American Women and Politics & 1st Amendment-1st Vote) K-5 6-89-12 College
Stories from Elected Women
- Lean In story: Sarah Kurovski (Mayor – Pleasant Hill, Iowa) K-5 6-89-12College
- Reflections from Women in Local Government (National League of Cities, March 2022) K-56-8 9-12 College
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Discussion Questions
Recommended for elementary-aged (K-5) students K-5
- What does a mayor do?
- Can men and women be mayors?
- Who in your life (family, friends, etc.) do you think could be a good mayor? Why?
- Do you think you could, or would want to be, the mayor of your town? Why/why not?
- What would you change about your town if you were mayor?
Recommended for middle school-aged (6-8) students 6-8
- What do you think are the most important traits (e.g. friendly, smart) and skills (e.g. public speaking) for a mayor?
- Do you think that any of those traits or skills are more common among men or women? Explain.
- Are people born with these traits and skills, or do they learn them? Can a person develop the qualities necessary for a mayor?
- Why do you think women are underrepresented as mayors?
- Do you think it matters that women are underrepresented as mayors across the country? Why/why not?
- What are the challenges facing someone who decides to run for mayor? What – if any – challenges are different for men or women running for office?
- Who in your life (family, friends, etc.) do you think could be a good mayor? Why? (Probe on gender if responses are skewed by gender of potential mayor.)
- Would you ever consider running for mayor? Why or why not?
Recommended for high school-aged (9-12) students 9-12
- What do you think are the most important traits (e.g. friendly, smart) and skills (e.g. public speaking) for a mayor?
- Do you think that any of those traits or skills are more common among men or women? Explain.
- Are people born with these traits and skills, or do they learn them? Can a person develop the qualities necessary for a mayor?
- The first woman mayor was elected in 1887. Since then, thousands more women have served as mayors of their towns or cities. Still, in 2024, women represent about 1 in 4 mayors of cities over 30,000 (as of August 2024). What do you view as the barriers women have faced to running for and winning mayoral races?
- Do those barriers differ for women of different parties, races, ages, backgrounds, or regions/states?
- Can they be overcome or eliminated? How?
- Do you think it matters that women are underrepresented as mayors across the country? Why/why not?
- How do policy discussions and/or agendas change with greater diversity among members?
- Do women bring any unique styles of leadership or collaboration to municipal government? Explain.
- As a child, did you ever see yourself running for mayor or in any other political leadership position? Do you see that as a possibility now? Why/why not? (Look for gender differences among responses.)
Recommended for college students College
- When asked to picture a mayor, what image(s) immediately come to mind? Describe that/those image(s). (Probe on race/ethnicity and gender in particular.)
- From where do you think these images come?
- What do you think are the essential character traits and/or skills of a successful mayor? Why?
- Do you believe any of these traits or skills are more common to men or women? Explain.
- Are people born with these traits and skills, or do they learn them? Can a person develop the qualities necessary for a mayor?
- The first woman mayor was elected in 1887. Since then, thousands more women have served as mayors of their towns or cities. Still, in 2024, women represent about 1 in 4 mayors of cities over 30,000 (as of August 2024). What do you view as the barriers women have faced to running for and winning mayoral races?
- Do those barriers differ for women of different parties, races, ages, backgrounds, or regions/states?
- Can they be overcome or eliminated? How?
- The United States lags behind many other countries in the level of women’s representation in federal office. Why do you think other countries fare better in electing women to political office?
- Do you think it matters that women are underrepresented as mayors across the country? Why/why not?
- How do policy discussions and/or agendas change with greater diversity among members?
- Do women bring any unique styles of leadership or collaboration to municipal government? Explain.
- As a child, did you ever see yourself running for mayor or in any other political leadership position? Do you see that as a possibility now? Why/why not? (Look for gender differences among responses.)
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Activities
From other sources:
- “Are women better at compromising and collaborating?” (New York Times, 10/17/13)
- Detailed lesson plan on women running for local and national office (Museum of the City of New York)
Profile a mayor K-5
Read students a short biography of a woman mayor (see book list above). Engage in a discussion about her experience and whether or not being a woman made a difference in her path to office, her experience in office, or the impact she made once there.
Profile a mayor – First Person Narrative 6-8 9-12
Ask students to view a video interview or read a story by current and former mayors (see links above). Pose questions about the female member’s personal and professional story, including questions about whether or not being a woman made a difference in her path to office, her experience in office, or the impact she made once there.
What does a mayor look like? K-5 6-8
Provide students with materials and ask them to draw an image of what they perceive as an ideal mayor. In addition to the image of the officeholder him/herself, the students can include descriptive terms and traits about them (e.g. personality, experience/credentials, demographics). Once complete, the images should be shared and following questions posed to students as a group:
- How are these images the same and how are they different?
- Choose a trait and explain why you view that as important in an ideal officeholder.
- How many of you drew a woman? Why? Did you hesitate?
A Seat at the Table 6-8 9-12 College
Split your class into small groups by gender (all male, all female) and pose a discussion question. After 5-10 minutes, mix the groups so that men and women are equally represented in each. Give the new groups 5-10 minutes to discuss the same topic. Then, pose these questions to the entire class about the experience:
- Were there any differences in the issues and perspectives raised in your groups when your groups were single-gender versus mixed-gender? If so, what were they? What do you think explains these differences?
- Were there any differences in the overall dynamics of your group discussion – or how it was run – when your groups were single-gender versus mixed-gender? If so, what were they? What do you think explains these differences?
- Did this activity demonstrate anything to you about the influence of diversity in group discussions, debate, and deliberation? How might these lessons apply to diversity in local government?
The Difference Women Make 6-8 9-12 College
Show students one – or many – of the following video clips and pose the following questions:
- What does this clip demonstrate about the role of women in local office?
- In what way(s) did the woman in this clip influence public policy? Do you think that a male mayor would have raised the same issue? In the same way?
Clips:
- Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker shares personal story of becoming the city’s first female mayor (CBS)
- Interview with Sharon Pratt, First Woman Mayor of Washington, D.C. (University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law)
- Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker discussing her top three priorities as a mayor (The Philadelphia Citizen)
- Changing the Political Landscape with Houston Mayor Annise Parker (Lecture at the University of Chicago)
Women and the mayor’s office Crossword Puzzle 6-8 9-12
Have students complete a crossword puzzle that includes clues and answers related to the history of women mayors. Discuss the answers with students.
Women and Politics Facts Trivia 6-8 9-12 College
Either via paper or as a group, pose a set of trivia questions to your students about milestones and measures of women’s progress in politics. In addition to providing them the correct answers (where available), use these questions to spur discussion about women and the mayor’s office. Discussion ideas are included in parentheses.