LATEST TRIBUNE STORIES:
• In Tempo today: Gold medalists lead Canadian company's charge across the border:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0209250415sep26,0,6484570.story

• In Woman News yesterday: Women positioning themselves for the presidency:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/women/chi-0209250013sep25,0,2923648.story

One person whose comments I trimmed for this piece was Harvard professor Pippa Norris, who gave a more sobering global perspective:

Well it is promising in its own right. But the process of women emerging as head of state is one that is often more accidental than planned. Worldwide out of 193 nations only nine women are currently elected heads of state or government. Only 39 states have ever elected a woman Prime Minister or President. So the track record isn't great.

At the same time the broader the pool of eligible women with experience at many levels of office then the better the prospects, as in Norway, Sweden and so on. But don't hold your breath for America. Rememember that the US is also way behind many nations in the proportion of women in Congress. The US currently ranks 56th: here's the link http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

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