I was talking about leadership to a group of successful men the other day, all CEOs and tech superstars, when the conversation turned to whether leaders are born or made.  As someone who spends my life training young women to be political leaders, I clearly believe leaders can be made.  But the group disagreed.  …

THE DEBATE STAGE — Four women will be on the Democratic primary debate stage next week: Sens. Kamala Harris, Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. That’s a new record for the number of women in a primary debate, per Gender on The Ballot’s Amanda Hunter (which is a joint project between the Barbara Lee Family Foundation and American University).

  As we head into the fourth democratic primary debate of the cycle, here’s what I’ll be looking for: History in Progress: A record number of women on the debate stage We’ve heard a lot about the record number of candidates that will take the stage next week – 12 in total, but that’s not …

  Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week: I’m a First Lady, and It’s an Incredibly Weird Job By Eliza Reid, New York Times Eliza Reid knows better than anyone that the First Lady is …

  We’ve talked a lot about the likeability double standard – but that’s not the only one women candidates have to contend with. Barbara Lee Family Foundation research has consistently shown that voters put women candidates on an “ethical pedestal,” a situation that comes with pros and cons. Voters have historically seen women candidates as …

  Every year, I ask my students in my Women, Politics and Media course at American University to close their eyes and picture an elected official. Usually, we come back as a group and talk about the “white man in a suit” that came to the front and center of everyone’s mind. This year, a …

  As we welcome Saturday Night Live back to the airwaves, we’re reminded that, over the past 10 years, making an appearance on the show has become a political rite of passage for many presidential candidates. Barack Obama and John McCain both made cameos (McCain had two) prior to the 2008 election, and Hillary Clinton …

  Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week: The 25 Most Powerful Women in Politics By Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune After careful consideration, Emma Hinchliffe has released her list of the “25 Most Powerful Women in …

  Yesterday, journalist Jessica Valenti wrote about “The Niceness Trap” we’ve seen on display this week. She wrote: When 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke at the United Nations yesterday, she was not cute or pleasing… She was powerful and most definitely not “nice.” There is a reason men resort to calling women “nasty” or …