Stepping Up To Power: The Political Journey Of Women In America [Hardcover]

Harriett Woods (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2000

Harriett Woods insists that it will take more than a woman president to assure that women have effective political power in the next millennium. Stepping Up to Power looks backward in order to move women forward; Woods believes that getting more women to enter the political arena will take both their commitment and a knowledge of the past. The author uses her own life story to recall how women excluded from public life were fired by their determination to solve local problems and by their passion for social issues. Decade by decade, from the 1950s to the present, Woods candidly discusses the positive and negative aspects of pivotal events leading to a triumphant moment when women believe they finally have broken through to real political power-only to discover that new challenges remain.The author examines some of the myths about women as voters and candidates; tells stories about such colorful figures as Bella Abzug and Betty Friedan; provides step-by-step advice on becoming a candidate; and describes from her own personal experience such moments as the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, the 1992 ”Year of the Woman,” the appointments of Janet Reno and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and her own breakthrough race for the U.S. Senate in Missouri in 1982.Stepping Up to Power will fascinate general readers as well as students of women’s history. America has been transformed by a revolution that has changed the personal and public relationships between men and women. The question remains: How will women use the power they have gained? Stepping Up to Power provides an inspiring answer.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The sweeping changes in political opportunities for women over the past 40 years can be mirrored in the life of Harriett Woods, the former president of the National Women's Political Caucus. Her book Stepping Up to Power combines memoir and history in considering just how far women have come: 80 years ago women won the right to vote; today, more than 40 percent of Bill Clinton's appointments as president were women, including six cabinet members and a Supreme Court justice. Woods personally experienced the difficulties encountered by women who wanted a career outside the home when she tried to get a newspaper job in the early 1950s after graduating from college. Paper after paper told her that women didn't belong in the newsroom, but she persevered until she was finally hired by the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Like most women of her time, Woods ventured into politics with involvement in civic organizations working to solve local problems. "Each of us began with a passionate desire to impact some issue and somehow ended up with political careers," writes Woods, who got herself elected to the Missouri State Senate and as lieutenant governor of Missouri, but failed in bids for the U.S. Senate in 1982 and 1986. Woods writes with passion about the struggle for women to raise money, get elected, and be taken seriously once they reach office. Stepping Up to Power reminds us of the progress we've made--and how far we have yet to go. --Linda Killian

From Publishers Weekly

Part autobiography, part biography, this political history examines how women have gained power in America. Long active in the legislative field, Woods uses her own career as a springboard for her discussion of the past three decades, during which women have gone from having minimal political clout to holding 20% of elected offices, while the past eight years of the Clinton administration have ushered in the ascension of more women into major positions of political power--including the first female secretary of state and attorney general--than any other presidency in history. Yet despite these changes, Woods contends, women remain woefully underrepresented in political office. Woods herself struggled to win and hold a range of elected offices including city council member, state senator and lieutenant governor in Missouri. She ran in two highly visible and maddeningly close races for U.S. Senate, losing narrowly in both by less than 1% of the vote. She has also played key roles in national Democratic politics, including the bid to place Geraldine Ferraro on the presidential ticket in 1984. Her book explores how the "mainstreaming" of feminism, the fight for an Equal Rights Amendment and prochoice activism have all helped push women into seriously pursuing political office, and how the Anita Hill debacle helped spur the 1992 "Year of the Woman" in politics. Representing politics as a "men's club" to which women have been continually denied access, Woods consistently reveals intriguing and disturbing facts about women's acquisition of political power in America, even if her styling turns out to be a bit prosaic. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (January 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813368154
• ISBN-13: 978-0813368153
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,369,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Stepping Up to Power" Steps Up, September 12, 2001

By 

LEON L CZIKOWSKY (Harrisburg, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stepping Up To Power: The Political Journey Of Women In America (Hardcover)

Former Lt. Gov. Harriet Woods presents her insights into the changes she has witnessed over past decades. Particular insights are presented on changes in how the public regards women in politics.
It was only three decades ago when few were concerned with how the majority of women felt on issues, according to Ms. Woods. Few women existed in such professional occupations as physician and attorney. (In 1960, 95% of law degrees were awarded to men. Today, about one third of law school graduates are female.) The use of contraceptives then was a crime. The term "domestic violence" had yet to enter our collective vocabulary. Readers unfamiliar with this past will marvel as they read how far women, as a group, have advanced in some (but definitely not all) areas within one generation.
These times are described along with the career of Harriet Woods. Entering politics over public inattentiveness to her complaints over a loose manhole, Harriet Woods continued her activism when appointed to a City Council vacancy. From there, she was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1976, served as Lt. Governor, and then led the National Womens Political Caucus.
Harriet Woods did not at first want to be identified as a
"women's issues" politician. She soon learned there was a substantial need for her to advocate women's issues. Fortunately she also was able to make her mark in others areas, such as drafting and passing model nursing home reform legislation.
The 1960s opened new discussions regarding the status of women, Harriet Woods writes. More women entered politics. Even today, though, very few women with small children are politically active. Harriet Woods notes that 85% of female office holders are over 40 years in age. By comparison, 28% of male office holders are age 40 or younger.
The role of women in politics has changed dramatically in Harriet Woods's lifetime. This book is an excellent record of those changes written by someone who both observed and participated in these changes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for the Grassroots, October 27, 2000

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stepping Up To Power: The Political Journey Of Women In America (Hardcover)

This book fills a gap in political literature and should be required reading for all those involved in politics at the grassroots level as well as numerous political science classes. The emergence of women into the political mainstream was probably the most important political trend in the United States in the last half of the 20th century and is one sure to continue into the 21st century. It is important not only because when we have men and women serving together in government, we have better government; but it is incredibly important to the status of women throughout the world. This book is essential because of the importance of its subject. In detailing her struggles in politics, Woods gives excellent practical advice and perspective to women politicians trying to get elected, women office holders trying to impact the political process of city, county, state and federal governments, and also to men to better understand the particular differences and benefits to working together. Whether she is talking about her early struggles in the Missouri legislature or the impact of the Anita Hill hearings during Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation process, Woods makes these events jump alive for us and helps us gain perspective on the critical impact women have had and can have as partners in the governmental process. This book assumed an added poignance for me because during my reading of it, the plane crash occurred that claimed the life of Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan. It is interesting to hear Woods' references to him in this book. Clearly, I highly recommend this book for all involved in the political process, both men and women. As a man, we cannot afford to allow the talents of our daughters, wife, mother, grandmothers, aunts and friends to be ignored and unrealized. The opportunity to now expand the role of women in government may be one which will have the most impact in improving our political system here in the United States and around the world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Story, April 28, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stepping Up To Power: The Political Journey Of Women In America (Hardcover)

A really interesting account of women's (slow) progress into politics from someone who lived it. Harriet endured a lot of bias and discrimination as she ran for public office (won some and lost some) and found that running was the easy part! She headed up the Women's Poltical Caucus and made it a credible force for women in politics, she opened many doors for women who came later. For me, with a new interest in politics and a desire to see women play a greater role in our democracy - Harriet's story is important and necessary background.