But that year, three women managed to get on the key Energy and Commerce Committee, generating increased funds both for the Head Start program and breast cancer research. We tend to be people-focused in our interests. And the issues are so large and complex that we need everyone at the table. That might be because, according to the governor, women and men often have a different approach to getting things done in government. I've noticed that frequently when men put forward an idea, they think it should be enacted in the way they have proposed.
Women are usually more interested in compromising, more concerned about the end result.
I've seen it as governor. A plan might be changed after it goes to legislature. But if it gets to the goal at the end of the day, I consider it a win. And getting things done is a big priority, especially as studies show that while women are more and more beginning to see politics as a career, they're often drawn into a campaign as a result of an issue, such as improving the schools or cleaning up a local park. That's a big change from the first women to dip their toes into the political pool, who essentially were widows taking over their husbands' seats when they died.