Did you know that 43% of legislators in office face threats and harassment? And women were three to four times as likely as men to experience abuse targeting their gender. (Source: Brennan Center for Justice) What if we could use technology to address and even reduce these incidents?
Imagine if we evaluated the health of state legislatures as workplaces, just as we do other professional environments. This system, modeled after Fortune’s annual “Great Place to Work” list, aims to evaluate to what extent each state legislature is a “Great Place to Serve” (GPS).
Our plan is to calculate and publish rankings every year, showing where these political structures stand in each state capitol and how far they need to go to be a place that is accessible, safe, and supportive for women of all ethnicities, religions, abilities, family structure, and income to serve.
Phenomenal leader and mentor, Katie Bethell, not only introduced the framework of viewing legislatures as workplaces but also laid the early foundation for this “Great Place to Serve” (GPS) index. We’re currently refining our criteria for what makes a state legislature a “Great Place to Serve.” If you have ideas or insights to contribute, we’d love to hear from you!