 The Women's Legislative Network of NCSL
Legislators Participate in U.S. - Brazil Legislative Exchange
May-June 2001
Photo Gallery
(Denver, CO) -- Thirty years ago, only 4.5 percent of state lawmakers in the United States were women. Today, 22 percent of the nation's 7,424 state lawmakers are women. As the number of women in statehouses has increased, so too have the opportunities for them to build networks, forge coalitions and hone their skills as legislative leaders.
Eight female state legislators and staff were chosen to further broaden their skills through a study tour of Brazil sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). They included NCSL Vice President Sen. Angela Monson, D-OK, Sen. Lana Oleen, R-KS, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-WA, Rep. Joan Bray, D-MO, Del. Carol Petzold, D-MD, Rep. Evelyn Lynn, R-FL, Susan Schaar, Clerk of the Virginia Senate, Annette Durlam, Personnel Director, NCSL, and staff liaison to the Women's Legislative Network of NCSL, and Nancy Brown, Executive Director of the Women's Legislative Network of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
During the 13-day tour, the American delegation attended the 5th annual National Conference of the União Nacional dos Legislativos Estaduais (UNALE) in Rio de Janeiro and visited several Brazilian state legislatures, including Pernambuco and Bahia. After meetings with women leaders in Recife and Salvador, the group concluded the tour in São Paulo with a roundtable conference of women leaders.
"In recent years, women have made great strides in the areas of politics, economy and society. Brazil in particular is a regional leader in the advancement of women's rights," said Sen. Angela Monson, delegation leader. "We have taken home a great deal of information from our Brazilian colleagues and hope that we have, in some way, helped encourage women's leadership within their state legislatures."
NCSL and the American delegation will return the favor in December as a delegation of Brazilian women legislators will visit the United States to attend NCSL's Winter Meeting and visit two state legislatures.
The exchange, supported through a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, aims to promote women's participation in the Brazilian state legislatures and encourage their advancement into leadership positions. NCSL's exchange program will focus on:
- Effective campaign strategies;Obstacles women legislators face and how to overcome them;
- Constituent relations;
- Media relations;
- Successful strategies used to affect change in the political process; and
- Leadership skill development.
By discussing public policy initiatives, NCSL hopes the exchange will help develop closer cultural and political ties between the two countries.
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PUBLIC SERVICE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
A LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE TO BRAZIL
WELCOME
TO OUR PICTURE PAGE |
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Dancers at the UNALE
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UNALE Group
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Brazil American Association, Recife
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Delegation at Pernambuca Legislature
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Teaching at Casa de Passagem.
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Lunch time at Casa de Passagem.
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Children at Casa de Passagem
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Casa de Passagem, Recife
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Bahia Legislature
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A family at Domestic Violence Shelter
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Kids having fun at Domestic Violence Shelter
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Annette Durlam, NCSL Liaison
Domestic Violence Shelter in Salvador, Bahia
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Chantal Dalton, cultural Affairs Office with U.S., Annette Durlam, NCSL,
Nancy Brown, Executive Director of WLN, Del. Carol Petzold, MD
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Posted July 25, 2001
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