Essential Estrogen

Six Iowans have been tapped to serve on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's National Faith and Values Steering Committee. Of the six, only one is female and none of the Iowans will serve as chairs of the committee.

The members are:

• Kathy Oltmans, Christian activist of Council Bluffs
• Tom Coats, vice president of Truth about Gambling
• Joe Earle, former director of Church and Community Development
• Keith Hunter, member of the board of directors for Iowa Christian Alliance
• State Sen. Dave Johnson, R-Osceola

Of the 50 members of the steering committee, the campaign has tapped 11 to serve as chairpersons. The 11 leaders hail from Arizona, Indiana, Georgia, New Hampshire, Delaware, Texas, California, Virginia (two seats) and the District of Columbia (two seats). Of those key members only one -- former Department of Justice spokeswoman Barbara Comstock of Virginia -- is female.

When considering the whole list, females hold seven seats or 14 percent. Besides Comstock and Oltmans, the other women are:

• Prominent South Carolina Christian activist Dee Benedict
• Author Nancy French of Tennessee ("Red State of Mind")
• Wendy Long of New York, chief counsel of the Judicial Confirmation Network
• Melinda Ronn of Connecticut, senior faith-based consultant for MKR & Associates
• Camille Solberg, former president of Wisconsin Coalition for Traditional Marriage
• Traditional Values Coalition President Lou Sheldon of California

Since Aglow International, the foremost women's evangelical networking group, boasts 1,100 groups in the U.S. alone, it is doubtful the lack of women on Romney's steering committee is representative of the lack of women in the specialized evangelical or overall faith community.

It appears Romney's team has only organized a women's leadership team in South Carolina, which has four members.