Originally published in the Deseret News.

I was honored to be on a panel this week hosted by the Community Foundation of Utah to discuss the engagement of women in the political process. It is a timely topic because we have three outstanding women seeking congressional office on the ballot this November — Mia Love in the 4th Congressional District, Donna McAleer in the 1st Congressional District and Luz Robles in the 2nd Congressional District. Utah has an opportunity this year to truly elevate the stature of a woman’s voice in the public square. I hope Utahns can take a giant leap forward.

There was a time when Utah was a leader in female involvement in political discourse. The Beehive State granted women the right to vote 50 years ahead of the 19th Amendment. Martha Hughes Cannon was the first female state senator elected in the country. We weren’t laggards; we were leaders. Unfortunately, Utah isn’t leading anymore.

Today, no woman holds a single statewide office in Utah. We have no women from Utah serving in Congress. Just 1 of 6 state legislators are women, and that number has decreased since 2001. Men fill the political arena, leaving a women’s voice largely unheard. It shouldn’t be that way, and Utah is the lesser for it.

Dr. Susan Madsen, with the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University, is an expert on women and leadership. Her review of the research shows that women bring unique strengths to leadership positions. Women are great multitaskers, work well in teams, deal well with ambiguity, are stable in times of uncertainty and are skilled at developing others. Importantly, the research confirms that women tend to have different motives for seeking leadership positions. They care more about addressing a need than seeking notoriety.

I argue that so-called feminine values — such as cooperation and civility — are desperately needed in elected office right now, particularly in the U.S. Congress, where political extremes fight first and serve the public second. We don’t need more division; we need more unity. We don’t need more ideology; we more problem solving. We don’t need more name calling; we need more statesmanship. We need the collision of bone-on-bone power, political ambition and partisan extremism to be softened by a woman’s view.

When I served in Gov. Mike Leavitt’s administration, Utah had a female lieutenant governor, budget director and head of the tax commission. We had female cabinet members representing natural resources, human services, environmental quality and workforce services. It was a large and strong array of female talent that brought valuable perspective and balance to every state decision.

Leavitt and Olene Walker went toe to toe on many issues, and the administration made better decisions because of that dialogue. The values of stewardship, collaboration, compromise, civility and compassion held their ground. Decisions were made from a foundation of goodness combined with strength, not just strength alone. It’s a proud legacy, and during that time Utah experienced its longest sustained economic expansion in modern history (11 consecutive years of 3 percent or higher job growth). Female leadership played a role.

We should all — men and women alike — be asking ourselves, What is it going to take to elevate the stature of a woman’s voice in this state? What do we need to do right now to take a giant step forward and benefit from the extraordinary female talent in this state?

I have a suggestion. Look inward. If you are a male “head of household,” listen to the valuable partner you have. If you are making an important hiring decision, consider the value a woman will add to your leadership team. If you are a male faith leader, recognize the value of a woman’s leadership and perspective in the decisions made. If you are a voter, consider the extraordinary contributions women will add to the marketplace of ideas and representative government.

We need to empower a woman’s voice, and it won’t happen by chance. We’ve been drifting, and it hurts our state. We need to take purposeful effort and change course. Utah will be better for it and so will our future.