Gender and Politics: Navigating Power and Perception

As we approach the 2024 presidential election in the United States and other elections across the globe, issues of gender, power, perception, and representation are integral components of the political landscape. At this critical juncture, we will gather current and former office holders, activists, scholars, and journalists to explore the intersection of gender and politics in the current moment and in comparative perspective.

In a series of multidisciplinary, multiparty sessions, speakers will discuss the relationship between gender and elected office or other forms of political involvement; who gets heard in the political sphere; and the role of the media in gendered narratives.

Conversations will spotlight local, state, national, and international experiences to explore societal and systemic barriers that inhibit political involvement by traditionally underrepresented gender groups or affect the voices of those who have successfully attained office.

We plan to post the recording on our website in early May.

Program

Friday, April 26, 2024

9 AM
Welcome

• Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School; and professor of history, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

9:10 AM         
Trailblazer from the Field #1

• Ruthzee Louijeune, president, Boston City Council and Boston City Councilor At-Large

9:25 AM         
Session 1: How to Get There: Gender and Politics

Framing remarks:

• Jennifer Lawless, Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Politics and professor of public policy, University of Virginia

Discussion with:

• Tram T. Nguyen, Massachusetts State Representative, 18th Essex District
• Sara Guillermo, chief executive officer, IGNITE
• Moderator: Grisella M. Martinez, resident fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School

10:40 AM       
Break

10:55 AM       
Trailblazer from the Field #2

• Dallas Ducar, chief executive officer, Transhealth

11:10 AM       
Session 2: How to Make Your Voice Heard

• Magda Hinojosa, dean of social sciences, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University
• Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Karyn Polito, former lieutenant governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; principal, Polito Development Corporation; and former member of the Massachusetts House of Representative, 11th Worcester District
• Moderator: Erica Chenoweth, Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; academic dean for faculty engagement and Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment, Harvard Kennedy School; and faculty dean of Pforzheimer House, Harvard College

12:30 PM       
Lunch Break

Boxed lunches will be provided for all registered attendees.

1:30 PM         
Welcome Back

• Iris Bohnet, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and codirector of the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School

1:35 PM         
Trailblazer from the Field #3

• Rochelle P. Walensky, former director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1:50 PM         
Session 3: Media and Gendered Narratives

• Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic, New York Times
• Tara Setmayer, senior advisor, The Lincoln Project; resident scholar, UVA Center for Politics 2023–2024; former CNN political commentator, contributor to ABC News, and GOP communications director on Capitol Hill
• Moderator: Sara Bleich, vice provost for special projects, Harvard University; faculty director of the social sciences program and Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; and professor of public health policy, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

2:50 PM         
Close of Program

• Sara Bleich, vice provost for special projects, Harvard University; faculty director of the social sciences program and Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; and professor of public health policy, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

This event is cosponsored by the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Harvard Radcliffe Institute gratefully acknowledges the Perrin Moorhead Grayson and Bruns Grayson Dean's Leadership Fund for Academic Ventures, which is supporting this event.

See "Gender and Politics: Keynote Conversation with Maura T. Healey” for event information on the Thursday, April 25, 2024, afternoon program.