Carol brought up a very good point (see previous blog comment) — If Hillary’s campaign made 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, then why is it still intact? That thing must be miles deep.
Lois described the many ways in which the Clinton campaign and Clinton herself reminded us how to deal with those who would hold women back.
Yet she didn’t win. She did all those things right and didn’t win. As Deborah Tannen has written, so much of what she said, did and wore was “marked” — commented upon, ridiculed, taken as indicators of weakness or inconsistency.
What does this teach us? Does it really tell our daughters that they can be whatever they want to be?
Many women (not just Democrats) feel that something very unseemly and uncivil has taken place. Many young women have been inspired by Clinton, but hopefully made more wary as they pursue their careers. They should be wondering if some of what women before them accomplished at great sacrifice is being undone?
We do indeed walk a thin pink line in any job and we’ve seen that there are a vast number of people who want to keep it that way — not just in the media. In this sense, we’ve been shaken hard — reawakened to snakes in the grass we considered harmless.
Hillary Clinton showed us how to fight back, those who despised her for her gender showed us that they are very much still around.
TAGS: Feminism, gender and leadership, Hillary Clinton, sexism, the thin pink line
A good many women across the country are feeling somewhat confounded about the end of Hillary Clinton’s run. She made mistakes, as did every candidate. But those who argue that sexism had nothing to do with the result are blind or deluding themselves. Eighteen million cracks in the glass ceiling, as Clinton described the outcome, was certainly progress. But for those of us who grew up thinking much of the work of equality in respect and regard had been achieved, it was a rude awakening. Certainly sexism is not the only reason why Hillary Clinton did not achieve the nomination, but it played a significant role - especially in the media. We’ll see how this plays out, but she has shown us what strength women have. And she has put us back on our toes, perhaps watching our backs a bit more again, and realizing that some forms of bias die hard.
TAGS: democratic nomination, equality, Hillary Clinton, sexism
While Hillary Clinton has received praise from people for her willingness to fight and not give up, it’s hard not to wonder whether people are looking at how acceptable it has become to insult women in the press. Surely there will be spillover to the workplace if people who serve as "senior analysts" for once reputable stations like CNN continue refer to Clinton in vile, derogatory ways. I’m not going to write something long about this. It’s just worth wondering whether women will find themselves dealing with more sexism. After all, that’s what went on in election process in the mainstream media. If it does increase at work, it will be difficult for women to call upon the efforts of feminists to support them as in many quarters they’ve been dismissed as humming an old tune — not in touch with the times — still holding on to grudges when their issues no longer exist. Will we wake up soon and see that indeed people in our culture have become comfortable with patronizing, dismissing, and insulting women because of their gender? I hope not. But watching what has been going on, it’s hard not to think it could indeed happen — especially if women are not paying sufficient attention because they’d rather think those days are over or if they let insults pass to avoid appearing oversensitive. More productive, as always, is nipping put-downs in the bud with a well-turned phrase such as "Maybe you’d like to rephrase that."
TAGS: Hillary Clinton, media bias, sexism, Women at Work
