Massachusetts is ‘‘The Original Old Boys’ Club”

Women outnumbered in Massachusetts’ politics.  Way outnumbered.
A WBUR graphic image.

– News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

 

Boyos meeting on the links
A Columbia Pictures image

Massachusetts is ‘‘The Original Old Boys’ Club.”

 

Arguably the bluest state in the country, Massachusetts lags when it comes to electing women to political office.

 

A local public broadcasting media exposés the endemic male patriarchy in Massachusetts politics and the particulars are not pretty.

 

Toga, Toga, Toga!
A Universal Pictures image

How bad are things in Massachusetts?

 

For starters, the somewhat left of center state of Nevada has roughly twice as many females members in its state legislature as does Massachusetts on a percentage basis. 

 

Plus, women slightly outnumber male members in the Nevada state legislature by almost exactly the same percentage as their slight majority of the general population.

 

Pretty much a good old boys club …
A Joseph Prezioso/Boston Herald image

Further embarrassing for Massachusetts, both of Nevada’s United States Senators are female as well as three of its four members of the United States House of Representations – in only one instance does Massachusetts match Nevada: both states have a female lieutenant governor.

 

And on a national basis, Massachusetts ranks 27th nationally in terms of the proportion of female legislators in its statehouse – basically Red State country.

 

Progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
A J. Gill commonsense.com image

Further, all of the other New England states rank above Massachusetts.  For example, Vermont ranks fifth nationwide, with 40 percent female representation.

 

While in no way is Quincy Quarry calling for mandating quotas or the like, the lack of female elected officials in the Commonwealth is still disconcerting.

 

And while not mentioned by in this local public broadcasting outlet exposé, local government in Quincy is also pretty much a good old boyos proposition. 

 

Floating along …
A Walt Disney Pictures image

For example, while the City Council has slightly more female members on a percentage basis than the average statewide, it is only fair to note how one female member has long pretty much phoned it in during her seven year tenure on the council as well as only barely won reelection in her most recent reelection bid a bit over a year ago.

 

Someone has some ‘splaining to do …
Quincy Quarry News/Facebook file photo

Even telling in Quincy, however, is Quincy Mayor Koch’s assortment of hack hires to senior city posts and board members appointments.  At best, females are lucky to see presences in traditional females roles such as human resources, at the library and the like.

 

Then again, arguably the most damning concerns as regards local governance in Quincy are how not only does it have a boyos über majority, racial diversity within Quincy’s government is even worse in a community that is at least on the verge of having a minority majority population.

Source: ‘The Original Old Boys’ Club’

QQ disclaimer