Kansas City, MO -- Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of Women’s Foundation, a think tank that does research, philanthropic and policy work statewide in Missouri and Kansas, released the following statement today regarding Lyda Krewson being the first woman elected Mayor of St. Louis:
“We are delighted to offer our congratulations to Lyda Krewson for being elected the first woman mayor of St. Louis City. It took nearly 200 years, but history was made last night and the glass ceiling in St. Louis was broken, paving the way for more women mayors to come. We offer our support to Mayor-elect Krewson and wish her the best as she takes the helm of city government.
We’d also like to thank Mayor Francis Slay for his partnership in the Women's Foundation Appointments Project, helping promote more women to city boards and commissions."
Women’s Foundation’s research shows that, despite women accounting for 51 percent of the population, a gender leadership gap exists in public office in Missouri. In its last Status of Women in Missouri research findings, Women's Foundation reported that in Missouri in 2016, there only four out of 20 mayors of large cities in Missouri (with 30,000 of more residents) were women. It also reported that only 22.3 percent of Missouri’s 2017 General Assembly seats are held by women, only 24 percent of state court judges are women, only 19 percent of all state prosecutors are women, and only two sheriffs in the state are women.
One way Women's Foundation has worked to close the leadership gap is through its Appointments Project. In 2015, the Women’s Foundation and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay announced St. Louis as the second city in Missouri to launch a Women’s Foundation Appointments Project to advance more women into leadership positions, after a successful pilot project in Kansas City, MO. The Appointments Project is currently active in helping recruit and train more women to serve on boards and commissions for the States of Missouri and Kansas, St. Louis County, and the Cities of St. Louis, Springfield, and Kansas City, MO, and Topeka and Olathe, KS.
Women’s Foundation promotes equity and opportunity for women of all ages, using research, philanthropy and policy solutions to make meaningful change. More information about the organization can be found at www.Womens-Foundation.org.
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