Julie McKeown, a representative from Women’s Political Voice in Milwaukee, spoke with several students Monday night at a workshop aimed at increasing the role of women in politics.

McKeown explained her organization’s work and told the group she would like to see more women in politics in upcoming years, then opened the floor to questions and comments.

“We’re a unique organization that is here to encourage specific young women to get involved in government,” McKeown said. “There’s no consideration of underrepresentation of women right now.”

Her presentation included statistics regarding the number of women in politics.

Currently, women make up 13.5 percent of the U.S. Congress, eight percent of governorships and 22.4 percent of state legislatures.

UW junior Jessy Tolkan, who ran in a controversial city council election last spring, offered her own unique perspective on getting involved in politics.

“It’s more difficult for a woman to run for public office than a man,” Tolkan said, outlining mainly safety issues. “When campaigning I always had to be with a man. I hated that because of the world we live in I couldn’t do it alone.”

Participants also voiced concerns over other issues such as the balance of power and the double standards they felt work against women.
The workshop was organized by Associated Students of Madison Women’s Issues Liaison Angela Bartucci.