It is easy to forget how recently women had no right to vote. Imagine that the year when my mother was born, 1912, was the first year women in the state of Oregon were allowed to vote. The federal government would not recognize that right as a whole until 1920 when the United States, along with a movement that was sweeping the world, gave full voting rights to women.Some states had given the vote to their women earlier. Wyoming is the most famous for what it said when it was considering coming into the Union. They had permitted their women to vote from 1869, but the United States government didn't want women having that right-- might be catching, dontcha know. Heck, women might even get the idea to run for the presidency... Nah, that's too far out!
Wyoming, the land of macho cowboys and tough men, had long before realized the power of women, valued their wisdom, and obviously had men strong enough in themselves to not fear strong woman. They said, "we will remain out of the Union a hundred years rather than come in without our women." In 1890, they came in with them, women's right to vote intact. It would be thirty more years before the country as a whole granted suffrage to all women through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
It is not like the United States was alone in not permitting women to have the vote or run for office. The first place to grant women the vote was Pitcairn Islands in 1838. Until that time, women everywhere could be governed but had no voice in who was governing them. That is still true in Saudi Arabia (our supposed moderate friend), which currently is one of the few Arab states not permitting women to vote. If the Muslim extremists gain in power in other nations, more women could lose that right.
Yet with this history of only in my mother's generation having had that voice granted them, with so many having sacrificed and fought to gain that vote, there are women today who find politics too boring to be informed or simply don't consider it feminine to be interested in political topics-- not women bloggers in my experience, but women to whom I talk. Now why would this be?
The women who don't want to know about political happenings are women I respect in so many ways. They are involved with life, active in their families, but the word politics turns them off. If I ask what do you think about this candidate or that issue, they change the subject to something more enjoyable to them. When they tell me it's boring to discuss it, I want to remind them that was the argument men used to keep them from getting the vote-- women aren't temperamentally suited for deciding on important things.
Politics impact every thing we do from working conditions, sexual laws, education, our very air to breathe or water to drink, what taxes we pay, who do we help, what laws govern our health care, and even whether we send our offspring off to war. How can it be boring to be informed as to what are the right things to be done.
Yes, in a lot of ways, we are all tired of politics right now, but experts are saying our candidates for the '08 presidential race will be decided before the first primaries. So when we say we don't like our choices, could it be we didn't start caring early enough? We are a representative government which means we don't get to vote on individual issues but rather for men and women who believe as we do about those issues.
To be clear, this is not about whether someone likes to argue political issues with others. Not all men or women enjoy those kinds of heated discussions, but it's whether as citizens we know what's going on, understand what our government has been doing, inform ourselves about candidates for office, understand the world situations in which we are involved, support candidates who are in agreement with us, and finally and most importantly use that hard-won vote responsibly.
I wonder if the answer to why too many women have felt it wasn't womanly to be politically savvy comes down to this. It's those who lost out on stopping them from voting but would keep women thinking they should not bother their cute, little heads with such complicated subjects-- just vote how I tell you, dear. It's the last gasp of the ones who still would like to keep women from being real factors in the laws and rules that govern their lives. If we believe it's not feminine, we will stay out of it and let men run it. And that has worked so well...
(The photo is last week on this farm-- cute, sweet sheep-- and represents what we are when we allow someone else to run our lives-- man or woman.)
10 comments:
That is interesting about Wyoming. Maybe they didn't have that many women there in the 1800's so they were not as threatened by them as other states or maybe they figured if they could survive the harsh climate then they deserved the right to vote. Maybe they figured they could attract some women to move there so the sheep wouldn't be so nervous. Sorry couldn't resist.
You are right many women still don't bother with politics. Many don't watch the news or want to be bothered with the goings on of government. But there are also plenty of men in the same boat. What is the typical percentage of voters compared to the number of people who could vote, 20-40%. In other countries people will stand in line for 2 days or risk being attacked or killed to get the chance to vote. Here people can't take 20 minutes out of their day once every two years. It is sad.
I am not sure about your theory of men telling women how to vote. In many families it is the woman that runs the household and tells the man how to think.
Most of the women I know, which is just a small sampling, are more involved in grass root politics than I am. And in the last presidential election I must admit I told my husband he better vote for someone he had some conviction for and not his party. This was a rare flare up in our relationship in regards to politics. I felt a very unhealthy polarization of all United States Citizens and I hope for a clean campaign in 2008.
I agree with ingineer66 that there's a general lack of interest in politics for both sexes. We can hardly get more than 50% of the population to turn out for a general election. It's a shame. I don't know why there's so little interest, but I suspect people don't see how politics does have a huge impact on their lives-- from how much we spend on education to the wars we fight; from the quality of food we eat to the cost of prescription medication. We are so busy in our lives that it's easy to overlook the things that are not immediate to our families and our homes. It's really work to stay informed.
I don't normally voice my opinion on politics, especially in the U.S. as I live in Canada BUT, seeing as your article is about women and voting, I can't resist. I have always been a very strong advocate of getting women out to vote. It was hard earned for us gals to be able to do it and we have our own thoughts and opinions on politics just like anyone else (yes, that includes all males). I believe in the saying, if you don't vote you don't have the right to bitch (excuse the language but it is what they say). I take it further, DO vote so you do have the right to bitch all you want and then some! Living in Canada and hearing about the candidates as we do every single day, just like you do, because we get all of your networks here, has me quite well informed. I also spent a fair bit of time with a lady today that is from the United States but has resided in Canada since 1994, and WOW, does she have alot to say about what is going on. I think we both agreed that it is going to be a quick decision who will be in, but also that there is one party that is still very actively seeking someone to represent them and not having much luck. Regardless of all our talk, Rain, you have made a very important point, ladies, DO start talking about politics, what you know, what you don't know!! Educate yourselves, it's important. And Ing, LOL, do try to resist ;)
Yes though most women seem to be less interested in the country politics, it can't be denied that they deserve their right to vote coz it's the basic right that every human being should enjoy irrespective of the sex they belong. Off-late I have come across a lot of women who are more well informed as far as politics is concerned. Over the years women have come a long way so it is totally unjust to discriminate in such fashion.
Anyways, do drop by my blog coz am sure there are things that will interest you.
Thank you for this. So much of politics has already been said and done before election day when the only question to be answered is which pre-selected candidate you prefer. Men and women both need to exercise more due diligence in choosing who speaks for them.
Once again, you said it all, Rain. And I've run into the same exact thing with women over the years. I've had to shake my head and try to figure out WHY and HOW they can't be interested in what goes on around them and actually affects them on a personal basis.
I have found...that with many of the 70/80 year old females, it's exactly what you said...they were instucted by spouses on who to vote for. I have no answer for what accounts for this and I simply canNOT understand it. Being feminine and being politically savvy in national issues go hand in hand, in my opinion. I've read a lot about when women weren't allowed to vote. I consider it both my right AND my responsibility to do so.
When I first heard the two words: women and politics, I was a little curious. The first thing that sprang to my mind was that often women have their own politics (aside from men) and often those issues are not primarily acknowledged in speeches and interviews. Sometimes I get frustrated with politicians. Those in power and the candidates vying for that power tend to spend more time talking about war, the economy and how much better they are than anything or anyone else. To me, everything they say is a load of B.S.
However, when politicians focus on health care, education, the environment and poverty, my ears perk up. I become interested in their platform and I then do my research about their economical policies, etc. I only wish that these 'social' issues were given more weight in speeches, then I would probably be more likely to talk about politics with people-mainly because social issues really seem much more important. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, I don't know.
Finally, only the best of the best (men and women) actually get into office. But what about women? Do they have to be even better, smarter, tougher than the best man to be elected? How much of their own values do they have to sacrifice in order to survive and thrive in such an environment? More women need to be in power and need to be supported. If we ever want to balance out the goals and intentions of the leadership, women will have to be more involved and participatory in politics.
Nice comment Doodles but I wish candidates would tell why they are better than the other candidates, usually all they tell is what a lousy jerk the other guy is and never have anything positive to say about themselves.
I mention this entry at Sacred Ordinary today when I wrote about International Women's Day. It did make me think!
By the way, I saw Capote, but not Infamous. I will rent it based on your recommendations. Also, I adore the sheep photo. I have a real thing about sheep!
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