Under Pressure: How the Unique Challenges Faced by Women Mayors Undermine Democratic Governance

There is a pervasive misperception of mayors taking advantage of travel opportunities related to training and professional development, often referred to as “vacations” or “junkets,” borne out by little data. Professional conferences and training programs for local elected leaders are a great opportunity to share city successes, learn from peers, and bring back resources and ideas to your city.

A number of women that we interviewed called out having good, supportive staff as key to feeling supported professionally. We recommend broad support for mayors having staff dedicated to them.

Create and reimagine opportunities for constituents, especially women and people of color, that demystify the process and promote civic engagement. Examples include Civic Academies and participatory budgeting processes. The majority of the public does not understand what local governments—including the mayor—actually do and have authority over. Educating the public about civic processes and roles can help build trust in government and develop new pathways for people to engage with their local government.

Anti-harassment policies and procedures, paid leave policies,
and access to childcare services are key for making the role of the mayor accessible to women and people of color.

Dedicate time and space to city council retreats and other opportunities to encourage collaborative, respectful communication. It’s hard to recruit good candidates when your elected body is—or is perceived as—divisive and combative. Council retreats offer an opportunity for the elected body to come together to focus on process over policy, to get to know one another as human beings, and to create norms and standards for conduct in political office that benefit the wider community.

While strong, full time mayors and mayors in larger cities tend to receive higher pay, many of the women we spoke with—regardless of form of government or city size—are not paid anything close to a living wage. Local governments should undertake a pay equity study, which analyzes job duties alongside qualifications, experience, and pay to assess wage gaps based on characteristics like gender and race. Higher and fairer wages increase access to local political office, attract talent, and help reduce disproportionate challenges in running for and serving in office identified here, such as financial barriers and unpaid caregiving responsibilities.

If allowed in your state, consider adopting or enacting
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). RCV allows voters to rank
candidates in order of preference; if one candidate receives more than half of the initial ballots, they win. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the voters who picked that candidate as their first choice have their second choice counted. This continues until a candidate exceeds the 50 percent threshold. Data in localities using RCV have shown an increase in women and people of color running in—and winning—elections. A report by RepresentWomen found that cities with RCV systems elect more women than cities with traditional plurality voting systems, suggesting that RCV is an effective way to encourage fairer elections with more representative and equitable outcomes.

Many mayors we spoke to shared that when they pursued efforts to increase security of their home, office, or themselves, they were met with pushback of the actions being excessive, combative, or self-serving. Many have resorted to using their own money to litigate cases related to their position, hire personal security, or increase their security—necessitated by their role—at home or at work. In light of the many instances of physical and psychological threats, harassment, and actions documented here and in other research (and the media) recently, it’s critical to build public and media support for reasonable requests for safety-related staffing and infrastructure in a way that does not hinder the democratic process.

Members of the public and the media should undergo implicit bias training to confront their own unconscious biases, which everyone has. Related biases include not just obvious references to gender and race, but also to family structure, marital status, and appearance. The media should focus exclusively on qualifications and impact—there is simply no reason for news stories to reference a mayor or mayoral candidate’s appearance, clothing, or family structure.

On social media, in mainstream media, in public spaces, equip yourself with the skills to identify bias and to challenge it. This is especially important for those with some form of implicit power, influence, and visibility: others in elected office—especially white men, the media, businesses owners, etc.

Attend council meetings and budget hearings, inquire about civic engagement opportunities, serve on a committee, understand the different roles and powers of your local government, and/or consider running for local office. Local government is the truest and most intimate form of local democracy, and everyone benefits from increased engagement and understanding.