SheLeadsGov

#SheLeadsGov is an initiative of ICMA to ensure that our members and the overall local government profession reflects the diversity of the people we serve. On the forefront of leadership and management movements, ICMA has confronted the status quo of gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in the association and the profession since the 1960s. Our earliest data from the 1970s revealed only one percent of Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) were women, and the first Task Force on Women in the Profession in 1974 identified pre-entry and post-entry barriers that influenced a woman’s ability to achieve the CAO role. The 2019 Career Advancement Survey was conducted in partnership with the League of Women in Government and NRC/Polco, updating the research completed for the 2013 ICMA Task Force on Women survey. Key results indicated: o 77% increase in women’s participation in ICMA o 38% increase in female CAOs o Fewer women than men were in leadership positions, but there were improvements from 2013 to 2019 o Women report more experiences of bias, and increased bias awareness has led to increased reporting o 85% of women and 58% of men agreed that there were more barriers to career advancement in local government for women compared with men ICMA commits staff and resources to mitigate the effects of bias in the profession and ensure that ICMA membership is inclusive and mirrors the diversity of the communities served. Members can look to ICMA for #SheLeadsGov tools and resources to assist in their own professional and community equity programming.