The United States is 57th in the world in women’s political representation. Men occupy 86% of congressional seats, 84% of governorships, and 88% of seats on top corporate boards. What’s wrong with this picture?

October, 2004, If Women Ruled the World: How to Create the World We Want to Live In—Stories, Ideas, and Inspiration for Change, edited by Sheila Ellison and a Foreword by Maria C. Wilson, President of The White House Project, hopes to shine the spotlight on what women are thinking and what we can be doing. The book includes poignant personal essays from over 75 women, (including Debbie Gisonni), statistics and quotes, and doable action items related to family life, community, and the world. Contributors range from activists, such as Dolores Huerta and Medea Benjamin, to celebrities and writers—but most essays are from ordinary woman who have something to say, from humorous to heartfelt to impassioned and profound, with headlines such as:

If Women Ruled the World…

Equal Parenting Would be the Norm Instead of the Exception
Female Athletes Would be Treated the Same as Male Athletes
Special Education Would Truly Be Special
We’d Value the Health of Our Children More than Big Business
We Would Make Heroes of Those Who Demand Peace
We’d Decorate Our World Instead of Destroying It

If Women Ruled the World is a call to all women to stand up and be counted. “Soccer moms” witnessing the effects of school budget cuts, television, and violence in our neighborhoods must have a seat at the table. Women in the workplace experiencing corporate priorities and policies, and wage and promotion opportunities need to be heard. Single mothers, immigrants, women of color, and college students have invaluable contributions to make to the national political dialogue. If Women Ruled the World hopes to raise awareness, support and inspire—and connect women to politics and their own formidable voice.

As Maria C. Wilson points out in her Foreword, “Democracy without women in power is not democracy at all…Three decades of research in state legislatures, universities and international public policy centers have proven beyond doubt that women, children, AND men all benefit when women are in leadership. Broader societal legislation, benefiting everyone, is more likely to pass if women are in office. We know the power of women as peacemakers in the world from scores of stories about their effectiveness at negotiation, from South Africa to India to Pakistan to Ireland and beyond.”

Contact: Katie McMillan, Publicity Manager
808-573-8000 ext. 22, katiem@innerocean.com

NOVEMBER 2004, ISBN 1-930722-36-2, $14.95, Trade paper, 7 x7, 184pp.