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In 1969, Shulamith Firestone said, “What does the word feminism bring to mind? A granite-faced spinster obsessed with the vote? Or a George Sand in a cigar and bloomers, a woman against nature? Chances are that whatever image you have, it is a negative one. To be called a feminist has become an insult, so much so that a young woman…will deny vehemently that she is a feminist, will be ashamed to identify with it in any way…without knowing the little that is circulated about it.” Attitudes toward feminism have not changed much since 1969.
However, if you look up the word feminism in the dictionary, it is defined as “the movement for social, political and economical equality of men and women.” If defined that way, public opinion polls confirm that 71 percent of women and 61 percent of men say they agree with feminism. So where is the disconnect with young women and equality-minded men? And what ramifications does that disconnect have on the movement for social, political and economic equality of women and men?
In Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner’s book, The F Word: Feminism in Jeopardy, she notes that “[F]eminism now has an outdated, 70’s connotation – instead of shifting with the movement, the term has stayed stagnant, becoming one of the many stumbling blocks for a broad-based contemporary women’s movement. In fact, a central irony of this rejection of the label is that there is still broad support for the ideals set forth by feminism.”
So if there is support for the ideals, how is that support being translated into a movement? Unfortunately, according to Finkbeiner’s survey of college women between the ages of 18 and 34, “Nearly 19 million young women didn’t vote in the 2000 election. [T]hese highly passionate young women volunteer in record numbers and care deeply about the issues. They just don’t see politics as the way in or the way to make change.” But therein lies the problem: because the majority of gains women have achieved – the right to vote, anti-discrimination laws, Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act, to name a few – have been won through electoral and political action. And when young women do not vote, their concerns are generally ignored in the public arena.
Are we so afraid of the stereotypical response to the word feminist that we quit the work of equality all together?
According to Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, authors of Manifesta: Young Women Feminism and the Future, “What weaves a feminist movement together is a consciousness of inequities and a commitment to changing them. Being an adult woman in the world requires not just saying I believe in equal pay for equal work but knowing how to fight for it.” And the way we effectively change policy is through the political and electoral process.
Certainly the political process is not perfect, but it is the process we have. In order to get your issues addressed on a level to effect systems change, you have to engage in the politics of citizenry. And that means identifying yourself and your issues with others who share those issues, thus creating a groundswell movement for advocacy and change.
Joyce Dolbec, Chair of the Rhode Island Commission on Women says, “we must be visible, vocal and vigilant if we want to see positive changes for the women and girls of Rhode Island.” It is regrettable that the term feminism sometimes hinders rather than helps the cause of equality, but, in the end, if we are concerned about social, political and economic equality and issues such as affordable childcare, lack of women in equal number in the legislature and pay equity, then women and men should stand tall and be proud to call themselves feminists.
The Rhode Island Commission on Women, in partnership with Leadership Rhode Island, will host the “60 Days and Counting Breakfast” on Thursday, September 7th, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., State Room, State House, where women running for General Assembly, State and Federal Office in Rhode Island will be brought together with equality-minded citizens. For more information, contact Leadership Rhode Island at 401-273-1574.
Since 1920, when the nineteenth amendment was passed and established a women’s right to vote in the United States, the percentage of women who register and vote has steadily risen. Furthermore, the percentage of women who vote today is higher than the percentage of men who vote. This holds true in Rhode Island as well, unfortunately the higher voting rates have not translated into electing women to political office. In terms of political representation, Rhode Island woman have lost ground and today are not well represented in elected positions.
Nationally, women make up 46 percent of the work force and 52 percent of the electorate, but represent only 14 percent of the U.S. House and 14 percent of the Senate. And though 52 percent of Rhode Islanders are women, only 16.8 percent of elected state officials are female, down from 26 percent in 1998. According to the Center for Women and Politics, Rhode Island ranks last in New England in female state legislators and 37th nationally.
In a study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women’s presence in legislatures and other state-level elected offices is closely associated with better policy for women. Among “women-friendly” policies are those that address: violence against women, child support, welfare, education and employment. The findings point to a continued need for targeted efforts to increase women’s representation.
Women’s organizations, political parties and leaders of both genders can all play a role in recruiting women to run for office, supporting women’s candidacies, and encouraging both women and men to vote for women. With more Rhode Island women in political office, we will have more balanced discussions, which will lead to improved policies. The Rhode Island Commission on Women encourages women to participate fully in the political process to assure gender-specific input into public policy. The Rhode Island Commission on Women wants Rhode Island to lead the nation in legislative representation that truly reflects the constituency it serves.
For more information on running for office, visit the Secretary of State’s website.
