"women aren't as interested in politics as men"

I think you're wrong, but I can't prove that.

I'm not here to convince you of anything, I'm simply conversing.
Our current system? What's that? Well, it seems it's a system that favors men, doesn't it? It seems it's a system that opresses minorities. I can't find anything fair about it, and, I'm sorry to say, I won't be the one solving this problem today.

In the United States virtually anyone born here can run for virtually any public office (certain age restrictions apply to some offices). Women can run for these offices -- we have what are called primary elections. Unfortunately, most people (male of female) don't vote in them. When no one participates, things fall apart.

Statistical information about which genders and ethnic groups run for which offices is readily available.

Yeah, but I believe it runs deeper than that. How come women won't run, or doesn't get elected? Why is male default? There is something wrong with the figures, and I won't buy it's because of lack of interrest from women. There is something stopping them.
I think we need female problem solving, as well as male, so when it comes to power I think we should really make an effort to even things out.

This is a serious question: who is 'we' ?

Just people in general. Like us. I could have said "they" too, but it would sound less like I meant it... :-)

I just think it's stupid to assume a system is working just fine, when figures show otherwise. It's a bit laissez faire, isn't it?

My problem with this whole discussion is the imprecision and unwarranted assumptions made about what each participant is saying. :)

I'm uncomfortable with any system that aims to 'regulate' self-determination. Can you explain exactly what it is that prevents American women from voting and/or running for office? The population is split almost evenly between genders. Both genders have the right to vote. So, why are we looking for outside mechanisms to 'fix' the imbalance of elected officials when the mechanism already exists. It's built into the existing political process.

Unfortunately, most people don't bother to vote. Most people don't bother to participate in local politics. But, most people feel entirely comfortable complaining about the outcome of their non-participation.

First of all, I'm not an american, so I don't know all there is to know about your political system. I know very few vote, and that's a problem of course, but it can hardly explain the lack of women (which was originally about Belgium, if I'm not mistaken).

I can't explain, that's the problem, and I don't think you can either. Politics is all about fixing things that won't run smoothly without intervention, don't you agree? I don't think the 'universal' right to vote has much to do with how the office is set up, since most people doesn't vote on individuals. You accept the list that has been made by the party, since it would be a fulltime job to investigate every last one of them. Politics is also a lot about bargains, and I do think women somehow are being excluded here. Men are default, and a woman is only chosen if there's any gain, if you know what I mean.

I'm not sure a "ratio-rule" is the way to go, and it's clearly hard to enforce, but what to do? If I would assume women aren't less into politics, aren't uneducated and has the ability to think abstractly, what's keeping them out? What can be made to get them in? I do not know. *I* just think it's a shame (that should have gone away a long time ago), and we can't consider women equal if most of the people in power are men.