Women in politics have been making waves lately, with Elizabeth Dole’s recent decision to run for president and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s hints that she may make a bid for a Senate seat.

However, some faculty members at Iowa State think women still are underrepresented in the government.

Females make up a lower percentage of elected officials in America than in many other countries, said Jill Bystydzienski, professor of sociology and director of the women’s studies program.

“If women make up more than one half the population, and they’ve never been represented at [the presidential] level, you’ve got to ask yourself, ‘Is that really a democracy?'” she said.

One can’t expect gender equality in politics to happen immediately, said Lynette Hornung, program assistant at Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women in Politics.

“It took women a long and hard struggle to even gain the right to vote in this country,” she said.

Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science, said women are becoming more involved in politics at local levels.

“People now don’t think that politics is just a man’s area of activity,” he said.

However, Hornung said she thinks women’s involvement in government isn’t anything new.

“I’d say that women have always been involved in politics,” she said. “[But] maybe we haven’t been as visible [in past years].”

Bystydzienski said she thought the two females who have caught the public’s attention may influence other women to get involved in politics.

“If [Elizabeth] Dole and Hillary Clinton are running, this might [provoke] more of a focus on women and inspire more women to run, but I haven’t seen that happening yet,” she said.

Hornung said she thinks the pair are an inspiration to females.

“I think that they both serve very well as good role models for young women and women who are wanting to enter the political arena as well,” she said.

Mary Ann Tetreault, professor of political science, said as a result of their celebrity, she does not think Dole and Clinton will affect women in this way.

“They’re not role models because they don’t relate to anybody’s life,” she said. “They are pioneers … [but] they’re not normal women.”

She said she does not think they will influence the choices of women considering to run for offices.

“How many people look at Julia Roberts, and say, ‘Hey, I could be an actress!'” Tetreault said.

Hornung, however, said she thinks it would affect the viewpoints of some voters if Dole were to be elected president.

“I think that it would help persuade a lot of the population … that women can be able to lead the country,” she said.

Schmidt said Dole is qualified to be president and is “not just some symbolic candidate.”

“She has some things that men who are running don’t have in terms of her experiences in the past,” he said, adding that she was one of the first women in law school at Harvard University and has held such positions as cabinet member and Secretary of Transportation.

Schmidt said due to “gender crossover,” Dole could receive extra votes from Democrats and independents wanting to elect a woman. But he also said Dole’s gender might keep some people from voting for her.

“There will be some men, and maybe some women too actually, who won’t vote for a woman president,” he said.

Schmidt said he thinks this is “silly.”

“There’s no reason a woman can’t be as good, or as bad, as a man,” he said.

He said he thinks even if Dole is not elected, America will have a female president soon.

“I think that the time is coming more and more,” Schmidt said.