As we approach the 2024 presidential election in the United States and other elections across the globe, issues of gender, power, perception, and representation are integral components of the political landscape. At this critical juncture, we gather current and former office holders, activists, scholars, and journalists to explore the intersection of gender and politics in the current moment and in comparative perspective.

In a series of multidisciplinary, multiparty sessions, speakers discuss the relationship between gender and elected office or other forms of political involvement; who gets heard in the political sphere; and the role of the media in gendered narratives.

Conversations spotlight local, state, national, and international experiences to explore societal and systemic barriers that inhibit political involvement by traditionally underrepresented gender groups or affect the voices of those who have successfully attained office.


0:00 Welcome
Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School; and professor of history, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

10:50 Trailblazer from the Field #1
Ruthzee Louijeune, president, Boston City Council and Boston City Councilor At-Large

23:54 Session 1: How to Get There: Gender and Politics

25:16 Framing remarks:
Jennifer Lawless, Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Politics and professor of public policy, University of Virginia

43:34 Discussion with:
Jennifer Lawless, Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Politics and professor of public policy, University of Virginia

Tram T. Nguyen, Massachusetts State Representative, 18th Essex District

Sara Guillermo, chief executive officer, IGNITE

Moderator: Grisella M. Martinez, resident fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School



This event is cosponsored by the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Harvard Radcliffe Institute gratefully acknowledges the Perrin Moorhead Grayson and Bruns Grayson Dean's Leadership Fund for Academic Ventures, which is supporting this event.

For information about Harvard Radcliffe Institute and its many public programs, visit https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/.

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