Loop 21 Covers Women in the World Summit 2012

Angelina Jolie, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and others weigh in

For the last three years The Daily Beast (now Newsweek/The Daily Beast) has brought together some of the world's most powerful and influential women to discuss some of the greatest problems facing women and families, and to seek solutions. This year's roster included Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and actress and Humanitarian Ambassador Angelina Jolie. Loop21.com covered the summit from beginning to end in the form of livetweets and interviews with high profile participants on topics such as the lack of parity in female leadership here in America, and what all of us can do to make the world a safer and better place for all women. Loop21's interviews with Angelina Jolie and others are below. 

Laurie Kretchmar, "The 2012 Project" at Rutgers University's Center for American Women & Politics

Loop 21: What’s the greatest obstacle to there being more female candidates?

Women need to be asked on average 3 times to consider running and we have a great video on our site featuring all of these female state legislators saying they thought “Who me? I couldn’t do it and other women saying “You’ve got what it takes step up.” Often it takes other women asking them.

[ALSO READ: Women Don't Support Each Other]

Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA)

Loop 21: Why do you think there are not more female elected officials?

Rep. Spier: Part of the reason women have historically felt they needed to be tapped on their shoulder and told it’s their turn. The old adage that polite women don’t make history is real because no one is going to tap you on the shoulder. If you have fire in your belly and are incensed by something going on the country you need to step up. Like Ann Richards said, “You have an obligation to someone more than yourself. We have only 17% of women serving in Congress right now. For us to really have equity and equality in this country we need to reach 40%. 

Loop 21: Do you think part of the reason we don’t have more female elected officials is because of women not helping other women?

Rep. Speier: When I first ran for Congress in 1979 I was 28 years old and people kept saying I’m not going to vote for her just because she’s a woman,” and it wasn’t men saying it but women. For whatever reason there’s a competition that some women see when other women succeed. We’ve got to change that dynamic. Men see an opportunity of both rising. Women see a threat that somehow if one woman succeeds another falls. 

Loop 21: How do we change that?