Melinda French Gates, founder of Pivotal Ventures, is moving her vision of gender equality forward by entering arenas where her leadership and Pivotal Ventures’ support will make a difference. Pivotal Ventures advances gender equality and diversity by funding organizations, companies and initiatives, particularly those where progress is laboring or is stalled.
Pivotal Ventures’ recent post focuses on the upcoming midterm elections. They spotlight the record number of women running for state office, stating, “We’re watching for signs of progress down the ballot”.
They are attentively watching election outcomes to see if the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade spurred women to vote—possibly making 2022 the “Year of the Woman”.
Their hope for the future is that the record number of women running for office at the state level will yield a “long-lasting impact on the face of power” in the U.S. Pivotal Ventures also adds to that power by partnering with organizations and people who share their vision and help keep it at the forefront of the political arena.
Less than a third of elected officials are women and women of color—and an increase in that number is critical for women to gain an equal voice, leading to gender equality.
One key partner is the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) that has the first-of-their-kind database which tracks women running for and holding public office. The database provides insight about the hurdles women face when seeking public office and the support they need to be elected.
CAWP’s analysis for the upcoming mid-terms indicates that the election of women governors may hit a new mark with 25 women involved in gubernatorial races: 16 Democrats and 9 Republicans of which 8 are incumbents running again.
CAWP touts the possibility that women gubernatorial victories will make history such as Massachusetts’ Maura Healey and Tina Kotek of Oregon who are openly lesbian. The same is for Black women such as Alabama’ Yolanda Flowers, Deidre DeJear of Iowa and Stacey Abrams of Georgia.
Further, half of the women now in the United States Senate previously served in their state legislatures. Representation at the state level is important because it greatly impacts day-to-day lives and may serve as a stepping stone to national office.
The Gender Parity Index created by Pivotal Ventures’ partner Represent Women identifies eight states where state representation is very close to achieving gender balance. They are New Mexico, Maine, Nevada, Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and New Hampshire.
Another partner, Higher Heights for America, has a #BlackWomenRun database which tracks Black women candidates that currently counts over 500 running for office at the local, state, and federal levels.
French Gates, the Pivotal Ventures‘ team and their active partners have formed a framework to drive social progress by expanding women’s power and influence. They seek to achieve a more representative government that will change the narrative about gender equality for the future.
