Getting more women involved in politics

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Organizers of a program on women in politics and government hope it will encourage college women to consider careers in public service. <br><br>Oklahoma ranks 49th in the nation in

Monday, January 20th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Organizers of a program on women in politics and government hope it will encourage college women to consider careers in public service.

Oklahoma ranks 49th in the nation in the number of women in state government, a drop from the 1980s when the state ranked 38th. Only ten of one-hundred-one state representatives and six of 48 state senators are women.

Cindy Simon Rosenthal, a political scientist at the University of Oklahoma, says Oklahoma is not a state that has reached out to women candidates.

The second annual National Education for Women's Leadership Oklahoma is scheduled in May at OU. Organizers hope to encourage young women to take roles as community activists and lobbyists or to run for office.