"Next Monday, the United States will observe President's Day, yet most Americans won't even think twice about the holiday. To be honest, I usually don't either, but this year I'm thinking differently. Being immersed in politics, both professionally and personally, has gotten me contemplating lately about the role of women in politics. The new TV show "Commander In Chief," and the rise of real-life female political powerhouses such as Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, have created much buzz about the idea of a female president. But if we look more closely, we realize that it's not just the presidency that's missing a female voice.

For centuries women have participated in the political process through social movements and civic organizations. And for the past 200 years, women have worked their way into the electoral system; but their direct role in politics has been hard fought and they remain underrepresented at all levels.

Nationally women hold only 15.1 percent of the 535 seats in the 109th Congress. In statewide elective office women hold 25 percent of the 315 available positions nationwide. And in state legislatures 22.6 percent of the 7,382 legislators are women. When compared to the rest of the world the United States ranks 57th in terms of the number of women serving in our national legislature.

Women have always played a role in Virginia politics, yet it says much about our history that Virginia didn't ratify the 19th Amendment until 1952, long after women had won the right to vote.

Today there are only 23 (15 delegates, eight senators) women in the 140 member Virginia General Assembly. And Virginia still has not seen a female Lt. governor, governor or United States senator.

And while Charlottesville has had several extraordinary women leaders, including mayors, only one female currently sits on City Council and no females have announced plans to run this spring.

I would argue that our representative democracy works best when our representatives truly reflect the diverse community in which we live. Women have come a long way in the last 40 or so years, yet for some reason we have yet to fully take our place at the table of political leadership, despite the fact that we comprise the majority of the population.

Research on women's political participation shows that women are less likely than men to have received the suggestion
to run for office from party and elected officials, political activists, as well as family and friends. In addition, women are significantly less likely than men to think they are qualified enough to run--despite being fully qualified for the job. We also know that men consider seeking office regardless of family obligations, while women are more likely to run as their family obligations decrease.

So what does it take for a woman to get involved in politics? There is no one answer. Just like men, we all come to be who we are through of variety of circumstances, experiences and desires. But if. confidence has anything to do with it, then I say get in the game. That's exactly what political scientist Jennifer Lawless did. After years of studying the reasons why women don't run, she's decided to run for congresswomen of Rhode Island.

Women can't afford not to be at the table. We have too much to contribute and too much to gain. So is America ready for a female president? Absolutely! It's not about electing a woman just for the sake of electing a woman, but if the right candidate comes along then I sure hope that gender doesn't get in the way of the American electorate. Indeed, we can erase this old stereotype by increasing the number of capable women leaders within all levels of government." (Holy Hatcher, C-VILLE Weekly. February 14 - 20, 2006)

Holly Hatcher is the assistant director of programs for the University of Virginia Center for Politics which, this year, will host several events around the theme of "Women in Politics."