While many people are justifiably elated by the election of America's first black president American democracy still has a long way to go in terms of equal representation.
In the Senate the number of women members has increased to 17 (13 Democrat, 4 Republicans) out of 100 members. This figure breaks the previous record of 16 female senators set during the previous term.
In the House of Representatives a total of at least 74 women (57 Democrat, 17 Republicans) will serve this term increasing the number of women in the 435 seat legislature by 10. Again another record breaking figure bringing the total percentage of women serving in the lower house to 17%.
Given these figures and the sexist garbage leveled at both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin during this campaign, I'm not sure this figures are going to increase anytime soon.
5 comments:
I believe the junk thrown at Hillary was beyond belief and it showed just how sexist the MSM and Fox News in particular is.
Some people still just hate strong woman.
But Sarah Palin???? Come on now, her voting record on woman's right is terrible, she was an awful choice for the republican's if they wanted to appeal to middle America, she deserved all that was thrown at her, and I would say this if she was a man also.
Brett, Melissa McEwen of Shakesville (shakespearessister.blogspot.com) talks a lot about this, so I leave it to her to explain that NO woman "deserves" misogyny "because that's how feminism works"; http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-feminism-works.html
No woman deserves the objectifying, generalist, sexist claptrap that was thrown at Palin from all directions. Setting aside all other arguments, the simplest one is that sexism harms all women, whenever and wherever it exists.
Any politician who is running for President of the USA who doesn't know what NAFTA is or that Africa is a continent not a country, deserves to be made fun of, no matter what their gender is.
Making comments on the politician's gender is different though.
Of course she should be criticised, and I see nothing that suggests ex-expat believes Palin should have been exempt from it. There is so much to legitimately take issue with in terms of Palin's politics and her past actions, but there is just no excuse to abuse her on the basis of her sex, or objectify her, or any of the other sexism that was spewed at her. Horrifyingly there was a lot, and a good chunk of it came from people who call themselves progressives.
Brett you can make fun of a politician for their views but there were was some terrible stuff. 'The what kind of mother' meme, the VPILF and using her head on a blow up doll. Just disgusting.
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