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Celebrating International Women's Day 2007: Women's Growing Roles in Contemporary U.S. Politics

© University of Wisconsin

Professor Georgia Duerst-Lahti Date: Thursday, 8 March 2007 Time: 10:00 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) View Webchat Transcript

The increasing visibility of women on the political stage is the subject of a USINFO webchat to be held during America's Women's History Month, on International Women's Day. An important development in women’s empowerment has been the increased presence and influence of women in the U.S. political arena, as exemplified by the election of the first-ever female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Join Beloit College political science professor Georgia Duerst-Lahti for a webchat to discuss the past, current, and future state of women in politics and how women today are shaping the political future of American democracy.

Guest Biography:

Georgia Duerst-Lahti is currently a visiting professor and research fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she is studying trends in gender and leadership of public organizations. She is a professor of political science, and a faculty member of the women’s and gender studies program, at Beloit College. She joined the faculty of Beloit College in 1986 and teaches courses on U.S. government that cover topics such as political parties, elections, the presidency, congress, public administration, policy, media, and women and gender. Duerst-Lahti recently has recast several of her courses to address subjects in a global context, and piloted a final graduating course, “The U.S.A and Global Citizenship."

Duerst-Lahti is a frequent guest expert and analyst for public radio and several newspapers. She has been elected president of the Midwest Women’s Caucus for Political Science and president of the National Women’s Caucus for Political Science. The American Political Science Association has appointed Duerst-Lahti to its Committee on the Status of Women.