Last night as I drove home with my daughter from her match we listened to the presidential debate. I was dumbfounded with Mitt's comment that he asked for and got "binders full of women" when he was the Governor. Why did Mitt Romney have to refer to binders to hire women? Why aren't women given the same opportunities as men and paid the same as men?
This morning, the "binders" comment stuck with me. As I read the governor's record I learned more about the Binders and the Facts. I also saw an Emily's List posting turning the Binders into Ballots and was inspired!
Women represent more than 50 percent of the population of the USA, but women only hold 27.6 percent or less of elected positions and/or Mitt appointed positions!
Women make up only 16.8 percent of Congress.
(90 women have been elected to Congress out of a total of 535 seats) - (61D, 29R - 16.8 percent of 535 seats)
U.S. Senate 17 (12D, 5R - 17 percent of 100 seats)
U.S. House 73 (49D, 24R - 16.8 percent of 435 seats)
42 percent of Romney’s appointments during his first two and a half years as governor were women, the number of women in high-level appointed positions actually declined to 27.6 percent during his full tenure as governor, according to to a 2007 MassGAP study.
In state Statewide Executive positions, including Governors and Lt. Governors, women hold 75, 23.4 percent of 320 positions.
I created a petition to help get women out of Binders and in to Positions of Leadership in the Real World!
You can visit: http://signon.org/sign/mitt-hasbinders-full if you want to do something and sign the petition.
Better yet, you vote for women in November (at least in Malibu and in California!)
Don't settle for Binders women - get on a Ballot near you!
