1983: When women legislators across the country heard ab

CAWP’s small, invitational 1982 Conference for Women State Legislators creates tremendous demand for a larger national gathering. In response, CAWP convenes the first national Forum for Women State Legislators in 1983 at the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego. It is the largest meeting of elected women to date; all 991 women state legislators are invited to attend and more than a third of them come, along with other women officeholders, party and organization leaders, women from the business community, scholars, and journalists. Close to 1,000 people participated. Three themes dominated the meeting:

• Increasing the numbers and influence of women in public office, especially in state legislatures
• Moving women into key legislative leadership roles
• Examining possible differences between women’s and men’s responses to public policy issues.

Once again, funding comes from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and from corporations, foundations, and unions.