State No. 1 for percentage of women in leadership posts

Erin Neff

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2001 | 10:36 a.m.

Nevada has the dubious distinction of topping many national lists of worsts -- from highest suicide and smoking to largest high-school dropout rates.

But a university research group gave the Silver State reason to cheer Wednesday as Nevada topped the list of women holding leadership posts in state government.

The report, issued by the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society at the State University of New York in Albany, compared the number of women in policy-making posts to the percentage of women in the population.

Nevada ranked highest at 51.3 percent followed by Florida, Oregon, Vermont and Massachusetts.

The percentage of women in leadership posts nationwide rose to almost 35 percent, up from 28 percent five years ago.

"The number and percentage of women appointees in all race and ethnicity categories, except American Indian-Native Alaskan, increased over the last five years," Judith Saidel, executive director of the Center for Women in Government, said.

Gains for women were particularly impressive in governors' offices, Saidel said.

This year, 43.7 percent of top advisers in governors' offices are women, compared to 39.7 percent in 1997, according to the study.

Marybel Batjer is a top policy maker in Gov. Kenny Guinn's office, for example.

Nevada ranked first and second in the nation in similar reports issued by the Center For Women in Government on two occasions during Gov. Bob Miller's administration.

The percentage of women in top posts fell from first to 20th under Guinn in 2000. Women held nine of 30 top jobs during Guinn's first year in office compared with 15 of 34 top positions during Miller's final year.

But Nevada is now back atop the list, in part due to the number of women heading state agencies.

Nevada has also been lauded for the strides women have made in the state Legislature and elected executive branch.

In the 2001 session, women held 17 of the 42 Assembly posts and five of the 21 Senate seats. Nevada also has women serving as lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller.

Women hold key leadership positions within the Legislature, most notably Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, and Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas.

Women chaired four of 11 Assembly committees and one of nine Senate committees during the 2001 Legislature. State Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, and Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, chaired the committees responsible for reapportionment, the session's biggest political battle.

The national study found Louisiana was the worst state for women in policy-making posts, coming in at 17.4 percent. Four other states came in below 25 percent: Ohio, Montana, South Dakota and Oklahoma.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.