By Michelle Cole – The Oregoneon SALEM — A voter tells a Democratic candidate that “women with children shouldn’t be running for office.” A newspaper editorial describes a Republican as a “bright-eyed mother” but doesn’t mention her master’s degree or that she runs a business. A constituent advises a state lawmaker to “invest in a good pair of heels.”

Flashbacks to the 1970s?

Nope. All of it happened last year to women seeking a place in Oregon’s political world.

In politics, women are still struggling to gain equal footing. And there’s some evidence that they have lost ground.

This year, women comprise 27.8 percent of the Oregon Legislature, down from 33.3 percent a decade ago.

The state has had one woman U.S. senator, who served more than 40 years ago. Currently, Oregon has an all-male congressional delegation.

Oregon has elected one woman governor, with no competitive woman candidate for Oregon’s top executive in more than a decade.

The state has never had a woman serve as attorney general, state treasurer or chief justice of the state supreme court.

To be sure, women have made progress since the early 1970s, when Gretchen Kafoury, wearing a hard hat and waving a rolling pin, protested with her friends to force the City Club of Portland to admit women members. Kafoury served in the Legislature, on the Multnomah County Commission and the Portland City Council. Her daughter, Deborah Kafoury, followed her into politics, first in the Legislature and now as a Multnomah County commissioner.

“We make gains and fall back,” says Deborah Kafoury, who juggled pregnancy, babies and the role of House Democratic leader from 2001-2004.

Political scientists offer a variety of theories for why there aren’t more women in political office in Oregon and nationwide. Women typically enter politics at an older age than men. Only a handful of women serving in Oregon’s Capitol have grade-school aged kids at home.

Women often start from the bottom — such as a school board — building their credentials and confidence before moving up.

And they are more likely to wait to be asked to run.

Keenly aware of the challenge of recruiting successful women candidates, Oregon’s Democrats and Republicans have stepped up their efforts to locate and prepare women leaders.

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http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/09/post_51.html