WCFF Projects in the News – 2010 Highlights
New York Times| Sexism Remains a Problem for Women Seeking Office, 11/4/ 10
"You elect any woman, of either party, and you have a harder-working woman...a leader who will be paying more attention to education, to quality of life," [WCF President/CEO Siobhan “Sam” Bennett] said. "Having more women in elective office is essential to the long-term health of our nation."
NPR News| Number of Women Set to Drop, Ending 30-year Trend, 11/3/2010
The midterm elections weren't very kind to female candidates, despite early stories that deemed 2010 as The Year of the Woman. In fact, the number of women in Congress is poised to drop for the first time in 30 years, if current projections hold true. And according to Women's Campaign Forum President Siobhan "Sam" Bennett, the United States has nothing to crow about — despite having 160 women on the ballot in races for spots in Congress and governors' mansions. As Bennett told CNN, "We're ranked 90th in the world in the number of women in elected office. We trail behind Cuba and Afghanistan," she said, citing data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the percentage of women in national parliaments.
TBD.com| On Growing ‘Cojones’: How Sexist Attacks on Men Hurt Women Candidates, 10/18/10
This campaign season, Siobhan "Sam" Bennett has found herself at the top of the political sexism speed-dial. Bennett, president of the Women's Campaign Forum, launched the "Name It, Change It" campaign earlier this year to help female candidates respond to sexist attacks from challengers and the media. The campaign's research showed that sexist attacks against women can hurt female candidates in the polls—but that candidates who denounce those attacks and call them "sexist" can end up earning political points.
Yahoo! News| Armed with New Research, Consultants Warn “Open Season” of Sexist Attacks in Politics is Over, 10/15/10
New research that shows women candidates lose voters when they don't respond aggressively to sexist attacks is already changing the way women are running in this election cycle. "You're watching history being made, actually," says Women's Campaign Forum (WCF) President Sam Bennett. The nonpartisan group sponsored the research. "Up to now it's been open game season for bloggers, for reporters, for opponents to [make sexist attacks]. Now, it's going to boomerang on you."
USA Today| Study: Sexist Insults Hurt Politicians, 9/23/10
Calling a female candidate such sexist names as "ice queen" and "mean girl" significantly undercuts her political standing, a new study of voter attitudes finds, doing more harm than gender-neutral criticism based solely on her policy positions and actions. Siobhan "Sam" Bennett, president of WCF, says demeaning or belittling language routinely afflicts women in both parties, from Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008 to Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell of Delaware now.
The Washington Post| Women’s Groups Call Out Political Sexism, 9/1/10
NameItChangeIt.com went up this week, and organizers hope it will become a "sexism emergency response" system, said Siobhan "Sam" Bennett, president of the Women's Campaign Forum. "We have so many women whose seats are in play," Bennett said. "So that they do not have to deal with these references when they happen, we'll deal with them and hopefully mitigate any negative electoral outcome."
