Sun Journal interviews Fried for article on women in politics

The Sun Journal interviewed Amy Fried, a professor of political science at the University of Maine, for an article about women in politics. Women have increased their numbers in positions of political power, but there’s still a long way to go, the article states. “Certainly there has been a big increase in the number of women elected in 2018, and Maine has really made a big jump in terms of the governorship and women in the state legislature,” said Fried. This year, 28.7 percent of state legislators nationwide are women, up from 25.4 percent last year, according to the Center for American Women in Politics. Fried said there is room for improvement because women make up more than 50 percent of the voting population, and the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote in 1920. “We’re almost at the centennial,” and numbers should be higher, said Fried. “Research shows women tend to be more oriented toward working together. Their leadership style is more inclusive. They compromise,” said Fried. And women are generally more interested in issues of education, health care and health of communities. “So that can affect what policies are getting attention,” said Fried. Historically, women have waited for someone to ask them to run for office. “Now, women are waking up and saying, ‘I think I could do a good job,’” she said. “You don’t have to wait.”