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Pelosi Ascent in Congress a Breakthrough
_Women are more likely than men to think they are unqualified to serve, even when they have the same qualifications as male candidates.
"A man can wake up one morning, look in the mirror and say, 'By God, I would be the best state legislator that Nebraska has ever seen,'" said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. "Men don't need to be asked."
  In this file photo from Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., fires up fellow Democrats at an election night rally at the Hyatt Regency Hotel near the Capitol in Washington. At top, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite - AP) 
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Rep. Jeanette Rankin, R-Mont., was the first woman elected to Congress, in 1916, four years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote (women could already vote in Montana).
Before 1970, more than 40 percent of the women in Congress gained office by succeeding their dead husbands. Since then, fewer than 10 percent have followed their husbands, according to data collected by Dennis Simon, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
The number of women in Congress has grown slowly, with the biggest jump coming in 1992, the "Year of the Woman," when it nearly doubled, to 54.
Pelosi, 66, grew up in politics as the daughter and sister of Baltimore mayors. But she waited until her youngest daughter was in high school before she ran for Congress, a path followed by many women.
Women are, on average, older than men when they are first elected to Congress, giving them less time to rise in leadership, which is based largely on seniority.
Lena Saradnik was elected in November to the Arizona State Legislature for the first time at age 59. She said it would have been tough to run for political office while her daughter, now 30, was still young.
Saradnik, a Democrat from Tucson, said she could see herself joining Pelosi in Congress some day, but she's realistic about her prospects.
"If I were younger, I would probably say, absolutely," Saradnik said.
Saradnik said she decided to run for office after being approached by a local Democratic official. She was helped by a training program called Emerge America, which teaches public speaking, fundraising and media skills to female Democrats. Republicans have a similar programs called the Excellence in Public Service Series.
Marya Stark, executive director of Emerge America, predicted that more women will be inspired to run for office with Pelosi serving as speaker and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., being a potential candidate for president.
Pelosi embraces her role as the first female speaker, but she wants to be judged by the same standards as the 51 men who came before her.
"I have always asked my colleagues to judge me by the quality of my leadership and the results we achieve together, not as the first woman," Pelosi said.
But, she added: "Becoming the first woman speaker will send a message to young girls and women across the country that anything is possible for them, that women can achieve power, wield power and breathe the air at that altitude. As the first woman speaker of the House, I will work to make certain that I will not be the last."
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On the Net:
Center for American Women and Politics: http:/
Inter-Parliamentary Union: http:/
