(Photo courtesy of Roger H. Goun. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.)
The Guardian’s Anne Perkins asks the question that is on the minds of Hillary Clinton supporters these days:
So why is it that women get more chances on the political right than it seems they do on the left? Is there something not very progressive about progressives, is the right really gender-blind, or is there something else going on here.
One explanation, she argues, is that:
The women on the right (who make it) share a common disregard for gender politics. The women on the left (who by and large haven't, or at least not yet) have made feminism an integral part of their public personality.
OK, enough feminist talk. I am too distracted by the number of times the term "hockey mom" has been uttered at the RNC. Can I get a count on "moose" as well? Everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten about George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and pretty much anyone else actually responsible for foreign policy.
4 comments:
Remember that sad poll about men AND women distrusting women in power? I think HC was actually forced to play down her feminist credentials during the primaries because she feared alienating voters. But what is feminist anyway? is abortion the only issue? I believe that the equal access to jobs, to positions of power, and equal paychecks are just as important issues. Even if I disagre with her on issues I do recognise that SP being on a VP ticket in the US sets a powerful precedent for women in politics in the region, pro-life or pro-choice. Same can be said of MA and CR as secretaries of state.
Yes, the disturbing Pew poll! I've been meaning to write that up. I think that Perkins meant all of those things when she used the term "feminist." I was intrigued by her argument, but I agree with you about Hillary. I felt like she played up her feminist credentials more toward the end, once it was clear that Obama would win the nomination. At the same time, I feel like she is still living under the shadow of the ridiculous "she is a socialist feminist who hates baking cookies"
image forged during Bill's tenure.
Regardless of her politics, I do agree that Palin's selection is an important precedent for women and a fulfillment of the feminist agenda of getting women represented at the top of the top.
Even if she plays a role in restricting reproductive rights and all of the things feminists care about :-(
I can think of two successful LA women politicians who have ran on leftist platforms. Cristina Kirchner, now the President of Argentina, and Michelle Bachelet, now the President of Chile. Admittedly, neither ran on a pro-abortion or reproductive rights platform which would not have sat well in countries where Catholicism is by-and-large the religion of the majority. They did stress the added value of female leadership in their campaign discourse.
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