Another Clinton Contribution
As usual, over the weekend, I had the chance to catch up on some reading - the April 21 issue of New York Magazine was one of the things I read. Amanda Fortini’s article, The Feminist Reawakening, published before the Pennsylvania primary, makes the point that the media treatment of Hillary Clinton not only reminds some women that we still have a long way to come but has had the unintended benefit of making other (younger) women aware of just how thin that pink line really is.
However things turn out for Senator Clinton’s candidacy, this is a good thing.
TAGS: Feminism, Hillary Clinton, Political skills, Politics, politics at work, power, women leaders, women's equality
Carol, your post made me think more about the statement (couched as a question) that I’m often asked, “Don’t you think women have come a long way?” My response is always, “Of course we’ve come a long way but there’s still a long way to go.” The problem with sexism in our society is that it’s gone underground. In the old days you knew who you were dealing with when an MCP (younger readers - ask an older sister what that stands for)made a crude or thoughtless remark. Now those same MCPs know to be very careful with whom they share their sexist thoughts. Women wind up feeling as if they’re boxing at shadows. Just yesterday a journalist from Australia asked if 20-something women experience workplace discrimination in the same way boomer women did/do. In our 20’s the playing field seems pretty even — and where it’s not, we certainly believe we can make up for it with grit and determination. That optimism fades only with time and age. I do hope that watching Hillary take hits related to gender does remind all women that we’ve come far, but not far enough.
Comment by Dr. Lois Frankel — May 13, 2008 @ 10:22 am