The MML Review March-April 2022

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Women’s Municipal Leadership Program By Emily Kieliszewski

F our years into the League’s 16/50 Project, Leadership Program (WMLP). While we’ve seen great strides for women in the workplace following the women’s rights movement in the 1960s and 70s, women have continued to face significant career obstacles. This is evident in the municipal management field, where women continue to be grossly un- derrepresented. Our internal data at the League showed that while women in our state have seen representation in local elected office soar to nearly 40 percent, the number of women serving in the top administrative spot in city and village halls had remained stagnant at 16 percent. More Women Local Government Leaders We launched the 16/50 Project to flip the script and empower more women to lead local government. The project name itself is intended to emphasize and bridge the gap between the percentage of women residents in the state of Michigan (50.8 percent) and the percentage of women that hold positions as municipal managers (16 percent when the program launched in 2018). Michigan municipalities deserve exceptional leaders and municipalities need to be run and designed to meet the needs of all residents. Women bring their own unique set of experiences and skillsets to the local government table. With diverse workstyles, perspectives, and solutions, better outcomes can be achieved. Whether in a board room, in Congress, in Fortune 500 C-suites, or in local government, women’s influence in positions of power matters. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA), through task forces and data research, has done some great work studying and highlighting this issue over the last several decades. In a 1976 report, despite the fact that women made up half of the municipal government workforce, only 1.3 percent worked in chief administrative offices. Fast forward 36 years later to 2012, when a new task force was convened. They found that by 2003, only 12 percent we’ve surpassed a notable milestone: over 100 women trained through the Women’s Municipal

of the nation’s city and county managers were women. In 2013, the numbers had increased to 19.8 percent, but then decreased to 14.4 percent in 2014. They concluded in their final report, entitled “Task Force on Women in the Profession,” that the demographics of an organization influence individual behavior, culture, employee health, and organizational performance. Additionally, lack of gender diversity in organizations can reduce productivity and impair financial success. The League’s Initiative Enter the League’s 16/50 Project—powered by the belief in a society where people of every gender can pursue their dreams without bias or barriers holding them back; where young leaders are catalyzed early to use their skills at a local level; and where local government offices reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. We believe in the positive influence of women leaders for our communities, and we’re working to make gender balance a reality for local governments in Michigan. We get it done by running programs and campaigns to combat implicit bias (a major factor holding women back from the top municipal role); equipping aspiring women with the tools and skills they need to make bold moves toward the top municipal spot; and bringing young leaders together to build the leadership pipeline of the next generation.

46 THE REVIEW

MARCH / APRIL 2022