The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, the bombastic Danny Williams, takes time out of his legislative day to repeatedly suggest that he’s “disappointed” with provincial NDP Leader Lorraine Michael – as if the NDP politician somehow requires a pat on the head and the approval of her political opponent.

There are comments like this one, in the province’s House of Assembly, as Williams speaks to Michael on the other side of the House: “There is pure, raw politics at its very best, what you are playing over there now. I would expect a lot better from you; I really would. You disappoint me so much when you go there.” Comments that are pointedly pointless.

During the last election, the same premier bulldozed over the NDP Leader, shouting her down through a televised leader’s debate every time she tried to make a point. Fact is, he clearly felt he had every right to look down on her.

Just weeks ago, a neophyte St. John’s city councillor, Sheilagh O’Leary, took a local radio host to task. The day before she called, the host had made a joke that a rural council – in Long Harbour – with five women and two men on it, couldn’t function. The host, Randy Simms, told a councillor from Long Harbour that he and the mayor “are not going to get your way on anything, you know that, don’t you? It’s just going to be like being at home…”

When O’Leary called to complain, Simms, a one-time provincial candidate and a mayor to boot, not only refused to apologize, but then added fuel to the fire by saying “I refuse to accept the criticism. It’s bullshit,” and then hung up on O’Leary, saying “My God, I love that woman and now she’s, now she’s had to make herself out stupid around me. Damn, I’m disappointed.”

The sexist comments sparked a firestorm in on-line response and letters to the editor, but the radio host refused to back down.

Is it any wonder it’s hard to interest women in political careers?

Just as our existing political system favours established parties, our existing system also favours men.

It’s as simple as that.

Existing political parties have their fingers on the levers of party funding, and on the organizational systems needed to push their agendas. The existing political system rewards bombast and in-your-face attacks, preferably with deep voices and big thumping fists.

Yes, it’s a bit of an oversimplification, but I’ve covered every level of politics in this country, and I know that, from municipal to federal, the simple biological ability to shout someone down almost always trumps reasoned argument. It’s a system built by men for men, and it capitalizes on particular skills they have – skills based on physiology, not capability.

The system’s stacked against women, and it takes exemplary women to fight their way through an old boys’ club that, in Newfoundland and Labrador, still has members who think slurs about a woman’s weight are acceptable parliamentary heckles.

And just about every time it looks like some part of this country is actually closing in on gender parity, some knuckle-dragging troglodyte pokes his head out of the cave for long enough to soak the ground with a healthy hosing of condescension.

Heck, it took a full week, just three years ago, for former St. John’s Mayor Andy Wells to apologize for calling a female councillor a “stupid old woman.” And people wonder why women aren’t rushing in for their share of the political pie?

Why aren’t there more women in politics?

Maybe because they’re too grown up.

The more women there are, the more civilized politics will become – and the more women will feel welcome there.