January 03, 2007
Nancy Pelosi, Standard-Bearer of Women
That's what this article is supposed to make us think:
It shouldn't be surprising that it took more than 200 years for Congress to select a female speaker of the House. The United States isn't exactly at the forefront when it comes to women in politics.
Women make up a larger share of the national legislature in 79 other countries, including China, Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an association of national legislatures. The U.S. even trails a couple of fledgling democracies: Afghanistan and Iraq.
"When my colleagues elect me as speaker on Jan. 4, we will not just break through a glass ceiling, we will break through a marble ceiling," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is set to lead the House when the Democrats take over. "In more than 200 years of history, there was an established pecking order - and I cut in line."
Lord, I wish she hadn't. More:
"The biggest obstacle women candidates face is not about gender, it's about the lack of opportunity," said Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY's List, which helps Democratic women who favor abortion rights get elected to public office. "Ninety-eight percent of incumbents who run for re-election are re-elected in most years. ... The bottom line is there are very few opportunities."
Once women decide to run for office, they are just as successful as men, according to experts who study the issue. However, women are much less likely to run.
One big reason is child care. Women are much more likely than men to be responsible for child care, and that doesn't always fit into the usually chaotic schedule of a member of Congress.
"All these women, even if they are extremely qualified, they are still so much involved in their family life they couldn't even consider running for office," said Richard Fox, professor of political science at Union College in New York.
So? If a woman chooses to be involved with her family rather than with politics, is that necessarily a bad thing? Pelosi herself didn't run for office until her youngest was out of high school.
Here's something else to chew on: if a woman can't afford to have round-the-clock childcare, is it feasible for her to enter politics? Most successful politicians in this day and age have money backing them, whether they be Republican or Democrat. (Pelosi certainly isn't among the poor, downtrodden masses; she and her husband are worth at least $25 million and possibly as much as $100 million.) It can be said that men without lots of dough can't think of entering politics either. Do we cry and moan about that?
Question: could the reason simply be that fewer women than men are even interested in a career in politics? Like it or not, men and women have different makeups and outlooks, which most likely affect their career choices.
Not only are there worries about the number of women involved directly in politics, but those who are commenting on politics from the sidelines. In 2005, for example, Kevin Drum wondered why there were fewer women bloggers and opinion writers than men. Some think it's not for a lack of women trying, but for a lack of men paying attention. And Chris Nolan believes it's largely because the blogging phenomenon was started by techies, who tend to be men.
Whatever the reason, I get really tired of people complaining about the lack of opportunity for women in this country. Those who go into politics or any other high-powered position (doctors, lawyers, etc.) have to decide what's important to them: family or career. It's a tough balance, and many women opt for a career path that will allow them the flexibility to work and still be around for school concerts and Scout meetings. Women remain the main caregivers, I believe, for a reason: they're better suited for it. (When you go to a daycare facility, how many men do you see working there? I'll bet discrimination against them doesn't come into play.) And if feminists reading this don't like what I've said, fine. In my opinion, the feminist movement served to give women equal opportunities, not to have women dominate.
What women do with those gained opportunities is their business. Nancy Pelosi, with all her money, chose to wait until her kids were older before entering politics. Why do you think that is?
We should worry more about her qualifications
than the fact that she's a woman
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