We host a lot of great events in The S Space downstairs, and every once in a while their messages really worth sharing. Such was the case for Monday night’s Women and Political Leadership: Do We Count? – hosted by the US National Committee for UN Women and the New York Women’s Agenda. We sent our own Rachel Ryan to take an inside look at the panel and the screening of “What’s your Point, Honey?” (see the trailer above). Here’s her take on the festivities.

Saatchi NY teamed up with the US National Committee for UN Women and the New York Women’s Agenda  on Monday night to shed some light on women’s leadership, female political representation and gender equality issues. While presenting on the eve of National Voter Registration Day, they also wanted to collectively point out some jarring statistics—namely, that only 20% of eligible women voters in New York City vote in the presidential election (shocking, right?)

They kicked off the evening with a screening of “What’s Your Point, Honey?” (2008)—a film that focuses on seven young women who won the Project 2024 competition launched by The White House Project and CosmoGirl Magazine.  This competition, created to help young girls realize and unleash their potential, provided seven young leaders with internship placements at their dream jobs—including the United Nations, the NFL and even our very own Saatchi & Saatchi (among others)! Aside from following these amazingly driven and determined young women in their internship experiences, it also captures their personal reflections on the challenging roles that family, work, community, faith and culture play in changing societal gender expectations. The larger theme of the film relates to the question of the possibility of a female president back in 2008 along with various perspectives supporting the push for female representation in the US.

The second portion of the evening involved a panel of female powerhouses moderated by the equally passionate TV journalist, Roz Abrams. These women, through their various positions in media, finance, politics and advocacy, have taken a stand to remind women that they count. Though women make up 51% of the world population, we are vastly underrepresented in politics and business.  The panelists did a wonderful job of explaining the challenges women face and the progress we have seen; however, there’s still a lot of work to be done in order to bridge the gender equality gap that exists particularly in the political and corporate world. The final consensus among all panelists was that soon we will surely have a female president—the time will come. It’s not a question of if, but when.

Ladies, even if you don’t want to run for office, you can still be an advocate and vote in the 2012 presidential election. Women make up 51% of the population and they DO count.

Tags: Beverly Neufield, New York Women's Agenda, NYWA, Rachel Ryan, Roz Abrams, US National Committee for UN Women