Maine has most women in high political positions

Amy McDonald, Press Herald -This March, in celebration of Women’s History Month, it is worth noting that Maine’s newly elected governor, Janet Mills, recently made Maine arguably the “pinkest” state in the union. Her final Cabinet appointment represented – like the governor herself – the first time a woman has held that particular office (agriculture, conservation and forestry commissioner) – and also ensured that more than half of the governor’s Cabinet comprises women.

As of the last election, Maine now also has a state Legislature that is 38 percent female and a congressional delegation that’s half women.

Only one other state governed by a woman – Oregon – comes close. But while Oregon has more women in its state Legislature (40 percent), only half of its Cabinet-level offices are held by women. And it has no U.S. senators, while only one of its five U.S. House representatives is a woman.

So what is it about Maine that enables women to seek (and gain) political office?

Part of the reason is its long history of female role models. In 1933 (March, fittingly), Frances Perkins broke a glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to fill a U.S. Cabinet post, as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of labor. And in the 1950s, Margaret Chase Smith became the first woman to be elected to both the House and the Senate and (in 1964) to be nominated for the presidency by a major party. She has been often cited as an inspiration by both Sen. Susan Collins and former Sen. Olympia Snowe. (All three are Republicans.)

Getting women to the polls is the final step in electing women. Here again, Maine often takes top honors. The most recent data (from 2010 through 2012) rank it third in getting women to register (76.8 percent) and second in getting them to vote (64.3 percent). Oregon, by comparison, ranks 15th and 6th respectively.

Undernews - We also credit Maine's standing in part to its maritime and farming tradition, both trades that left women in more powerful family positions.