Women Are Never Front-Runners
All this talk of Hillary today reminds me of an op-ed in last week's New York Times that one of my friends passed along to me - one by Gloria Steinem. If you haven't read it yet, take this opportunity to do so. While we're busy throwing around terms like the "race" and "gender card," it's important that we stop to think about what they really mean.
Women Are Never Front-RunnersCorrection Appended
THE woman in question became a lawyer after some years as a community organizer, married a corporate lawyer and is the mother of two little girls, ages 9 and 6. Herself the daughter of a white American mother and a black African father — in this race-conscious country, she is considered black — she served as a state legislator for eight years, and became an inspirational voice for national unity.
Be honest: Do you think this is the biography of someone who could be elected to the United States Senate? After less than one term there, do you believe she could be a viable candidate to head the most powerful nation on earth?
If you answered no to either question, you’re not alone. Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House. This country is way down the list of countries electing women and, according to one study, it polarizes gender roles more than the average democracy.
Read the full NYT story here.
hillary clinton, election 08, women, gloria steinem, gender card, women in politics
dead on. a gf of mine passed it along too - i hate how often people talk about "gender politics" as if it's dead. the sexual revolution is over ladies, you don't still cook dinner do you? except... oh. we still do. hillary clinton isn't hated because she's hillary. she's hated because she's not a bill.
Ultimately, both females and black people will have trouble ascending the political ladder of success. If Hillary were black, she wouldn't have a shot in hell. President Rice? Never. I say this as a BLACK WOMAN. Hillary being white and Barack being black gives them both a shot I'll never know. Gloria, I read your rag my whole life, but you've lost me now. You, too, enjoy the benefits of being white.
women are equal to men. deal with it. the only inequities are men don't cry about it while you women do.
My Wife's friend Rebecca Walker had a good response to Steinem's oped in the HuffPo two days ago.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-walker/the-fence_b_81347.html