$1.5 M Supports Women in Politics

The Kennedy School of Government (KSG) has received a $1.5 million gift to endow a specialized initiative tailored for women with aspirations of holding public office.

The endowment was a personal gift from Barbara Lee, a leading activist for women’s political leadership, and will directly fund the Barbara Lee Women in U.S. Politics Training Program and Lecture Series.

This initiative is part of a larger program, titled “From Harvard Square to the Oval Office,” focused on training women to succeed in politics despite gender imbalances, according to Victoria Budson, executive director of Women in Public Policy Program (WAPPP).

The program invites female political leaders to speak with students “behind closed doors” about their experiences as women in the electoral process and facilitates skill-training sessions with the nation’s leading campaign strategists, Budson said.

Lee said she hopes the endowment will help combat the under-representation of women in U.S. politics.

“A program like this is helping young women to be in a community where it is acceptable and positive to have ambitions,” she said.

Women hold only 14 percent of the seats in the U.S. Senate and 15.4 percent in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Budson.

While women in other countries benefit from reserved seats and quotas, Budson said, one of the major challenges for women in the U.S. electoral system is incumbency.

“The vast majority of seats go to incumbents; thus any change in the gender composition of elected officials will take decades,” wrote Iris Bohnet, KSG associate professor of public policy and WAPPP faculty chair, in an e-mail.

The Oval Office program is expected to serve as a model for other universities, the program’s leaders said yesterday.

“I know of no other political program in the United States that specifically focuses on the challenges and opportunities women face in the electoral process,” Budson said.

Tanene Allison, one of the 60 program participants, said that it is fitting that the KSG lead the way in improving women’s access to elected office.

“[My peers’] dedication to public service and clear thinking about solutions to challenging problems are incredibly needed in legislative halls and executive offices everywhere,” she said.

The endowment ensures that the KSG remains committed to cultivating women leaders in each subsequent generation, Budson said.

“It’s irrevocable. It’s here forever,” she said.

“This endowment means that in 200 years, in 500 years, Harvard will still be running a program like this.”