Erin Pillipow (left) and Amanda Lindgren sit on WIL’s executive.

The Saskatchewan Legislature has 58 seats, only 11 of which women hold. A University of Saskatchewan club is trying to change that.

Founded in 2010, Women in the Legislature is looking to raise awareness about the underrepresentation of women in politics and inspire them to take an interest in governance. The group does so by giving female students an opportunity to interact with female political leaders and encouraging them to become active in political life.

“The main component of our organization is the trip to Regina which takes place in the spring,” said Amanda Lindgren, a second- year public administration student and WIL’s executive director. “It’s an opportunity for students to meet with elected officials and public servants and learn first-hand about government in Saskatchewan.”

On March 16 and 17, 2014, WIL plans to bring between 20 and 30 female students to Saskatchewan’s legislative building. The trip, which is heavily subsidized by the university, private sponsors and fundraisers, will include a tour of the building, meetings with civil servants and elected officials, panel discussions and a gala dinner hosted by the Lieutenant-Governor.

“It’s just a chance to expose students to the kinds of the careers that are out there,” Lindgren said.

WIL puts on other events throughout the year to increase awareness about the political system in Canada, including a Nov. 5 panel discussion called Politics 101.

The event was “aimed at students who think they might be interested in politics but don’t really know where to get started,” said Erin Pillipow, a third-year political studies student and WIL’s program director. “There was an array of topics dealing with Canadian government.”

U of S professors David York and Charles Smith, who spoke on the electoral system, Mairin Loewen presented on her role as a city councillor and municipal government and Idle No More co-founder Sheelah McLean talked about grassroots movements and how they affect politics.

The event took place in Neatby-Timlin theatre and had more than 30 students in attendance.

The club also hosts beer nights and fundraisers and has general meetings on a monthly basis. Lindgren said WIL plans to host another panel discussion in the second term.

The club’s membership is limited to undergraduate students. Although WIL’s constitution does allow men to be a part of the organization, including the executive, the trip to Regina is exclusively for students who identify as female.

“We see a disparity between the number of women in the population and the number of women in our government,” Pillipow said. “We think the elected representatives should be reflective of the populations that they represent.”

Pillipow said the reason behind the lack of women in politics has to do with how women are raised.

“Women aren’t brought up to be leaders in our society, they’re taught to be submissive,” Pillipow said. “To be in politics you have to put your name forward, and women don’t want to do that. They have to be encouraged. That’s a big reason why there aren’t many females in government.”

Lindgren said one of WIL’s objectives is to facilitate the dialogue about why so few women go into politics.

“For each woman it’s different,” Lindgren said. “The aim of our club isn’t to say that there is a specific reason, but rather to have that conversation.”

The ultimate goal of the club, Pillipow said, is to promote politics and governance as an option for women.

“It’s important to be involved in politics because government affects everything in your life. If you’re not aware of what’s going on then you have no control and no agency.”

Students wanting more information on Women in the Legislature can visit the club’s Facebook page, email the group’s organizers at wil.program@gmail.com or visit www.uofs-wil.org.

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Photo: Katherine Fedoroff/Photo Editor