Tuesday was a historic night in Oklahoma.

For the first time in state history, we learned that the governor’s office will be held by a woman, as Democratic Lt. Gov. Jari Askins and Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin both won primary races in Tuesday’s elections — guaranteeing that a female will succeed term-limited Gov. Brad Henry.

And while Oklahomans will have to wait until the Nov. 2 general elections to decide which woman will earn the historic honor, we now must ask ourselves: Is this enough?

The answer? Not hardly.

We may be patting ourselves on the back for how progressive it is to have an all-woman gubernatorial election, but we can’t turn our backs on these less-than-glamourous statistics:

• Oklahoma ranks 38th for teen pregnancy rates per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Unplanned Pregnancy.
• Oklahoma has the fourth-highest rate of women murdered by men, according to a new study by the Violence Policy Center.
• And don’t forget that Oklahoma’s female prison population is 131 women per 100,000 residents, the highest in the nation and almost twice the national average.

There are only five women in the 48-member state Senate, and 12 women in the 101-member House. Oklahoma ranks 49th for its percentage of women in the state Legislature, according to the Center for American Women in Politics.

And that may very well be the reason why we lag so far behind in so many women-related issues. If women aren’t being properly represented, then it makes sense the problems that plague them go largely ignored.

But things are not going to be solved simply by voting Fallin, Askins or any other woman into office. No, what Oklahoma needs is for everyone — man, woman, Democrat, Republican — to recognize the problems and to act. And while we hope the politicians we elect into office take responsibility, we as citizens must do our part. We have to hold everyone accountable.

There are 149 men and women serving in the Oklahoma Legislation. We need the 132 members who are not women to do their part and commit to improving these issues, and the 17 women serving the citizen’s of this state must remain united — no matter what political affiliation.

Sure, a budget crisis and education concerns will keep our politicians busy, and every group has issues, but Oklahoma has been at the bottom of these women-related categories for far too long. And with the election of a woman governor, there’s no better time to place the spotlight on women’s issues.

After the Nov. 2 general election, the makeup of Oklahoma’s political landscape will be altered, and the state will make history with its first female governor. But will our historical governor translate her victory into results?

She better. The well-being of women in this state depend on it.