Gender and Politics (as promised)

After posting this on a primarily conservative website, I have come to realize I am not as thick-skinned as I would have like to think.  Here is a more cited version.  Also, I need a break from writing after fighting that political uphill battle.   Hopefully a sabbatical and some much needed reading of other feminists will bring me back rejuvenated and in full force. 

Gender and Politics

For some it’s abortion. For others, it’s taxes. For others still, it’s same-sex marriage.

Here’s the thing- Everyone has an issue.

My issue? Women’s Rights.

I support this by participating in multiple forms of activism and…
By not voting people into office that hate me.

For example, in a local election, Senator Jim DeMint ran against Candidate Alvin Greene. DeMint’s credentials far exceeded Greene’s, however DeMint had been cited several times with sexist commentary. Retracting statements after discussing it with your campaign manager is too little too late. Guess who got my support? That’s right, the guy with no experience and no credentials.

I know there are many other issues out there to be dealt with and that this nation is in peril, but I can’t vote for someone who does not see me as an equal due to my race, religion, or sex. It’s a deal breaker. I am not a big President Obama fan for many reasons and believe that our country needs a new leader. Being a non-platform voter, all options are on the table, so I dug in to the republican front runners for the upcoming primary. First things first, I compare their views on women.
From my research, Candidate Romney is said to be “evolving” in his tolerance of women. What does that mean? It says he’s not there yet and needs to be told that women are through being merely tolerated. We are equals.

Gingrich wants to inject religion back into schools. As far as women’s interests go, religion is almost always a stumbling block as most religions are patriarchal. This may be suitable in your religious establishment, but it has no place in running a country where over half of the population is female. Patriarchy holds women back by teaching that women should always be in the role of support. This country already runs on the patriarchal model- why should we exacerbate this by pumping religion into the mix.

Romney, Candidate Paul, and Candidate Gingrich have spoken out against Planned Parenthood, claiming that abortions should not be supported with taxpayer dollars. Planned Parenthood is not all about handing out abortions, in fact just the opposite could be said. They are pro-avoiding abortions with options like birth control. In point of fact, on the Planed Parenthood website it states that it is an educator to the community of responsible human sexuality.

Paul's desire to sign a Ban on Planned Parenthood isn’t the biggest feminist beef. Paul states on his campaign website outright that he doesn’t believe in equal pay for equal jobs. I say let’s give all women a forty percent raise and men and thirty percent demotion and see how fired up about equal pay we can get. While this sounds very 1950s, the truth of the matter is when comparing full time working women with full time working men the wage gap is very real.

Candidate Bachmann is avoiding the subject all together. I've tried to find her stance on anything gender related, but have come up empty-handed. When I first began volunteering as a court advocate, I wore pants and always had my hair pulled back to be as “business-like” as possible so I would be more easily taken seriously. It turns out that what I considered “business-like” and “serious” was also what I considered to be less feminine and more masculine. I have to wonder if that is Bachmann’s approach here. Is she just ignoring women’s issues because that will take away from the seriousness of her campaign? If so, that seems pretty bogus. Women have been ignored with our many WASP males in office, they don’t need to be ignored with a woman in office.

And a big thank you to Herman Cain for suspending his candidacy. "Allegations” are when it can’t be proven that you sexually harassed two women who won’t actually speak out about it. Guilty is when four women come forward and a thirteen year mistress.

Back to President Obama. He seems to care more than any other present candidate about “Women’s Issues” ( I use quotes because I think of them as regular issues because they affect over half of the population). I particularly like the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (Equal pay for equal jobs), the Affordable Care Act (insurance companies cannot discriminate against women), and his involvement in to increase women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects.

It goes back to everyone having their issues; one particular hurtle that a representative, whether in White House or other office, has to clear to get support, with all other hurtles being secondary. As a woman, I won't stand to simply be tolerated by male leaders, ignored by female leaders or tracked into a low ceiling, supporting role by an outdated traditionalist system. What I need- what women need- is a true advocate.