Have We Come a Long Way, Baby?

Women comprise a majority of the population yet remain underrepresented within American government. In fact, Indiana trails most national numbers and remains one of 5 states in the country to never have elected a female governor or senator. One hundred years post-suffrage, this lack of representation presses the question of “why?” Laura’s talk addresses this question by bridging historical narratives with current statistics. By sharing her key research findings, exploring larger national trends and analyzing influential factors, Laura hopes that a better understanding of the past will enable us to work toward encouraging and electing more women in politics today.

Laura Merrifield Wilson is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Indianapolis, where she specializes in gender politics, campaigns and elections, and state government. She earned her Bachelors in Theatre (2008) and Masters in Political Science (2010) from Ohio University and her Masters in Women’s Studies (2014), Masters in Public Administration (2012), and PhD in American Politics (2014) from theUniversity of Alabama. Wilson is a regular panelist on CBS 4’s/Fox 59’s “IN Focus” on Sunday mornings and is the producer and host of WICR 88.7’s “Positively Politics” on Saturdays at 11:30 am.