By Mary T. O’Sullivan, MSOL
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Women in the United States have been hitting the glass ceiling since 1776; yes, women in the early days of the United States were feeling left out as the new nation was being created. Raising consciousness of the biases held against women began with Abagail Adams, the First Lady, wife of President John Adams. As far back as 1776, Abagail Adams believed that women’s equality was dependent on access normally reserved for men in her era; the right to an education, the right to own property and, the right to vote. It wasn’t until 1919 that what was started by Abagail Adams in 1776 and advanced by Susan B. Anthony in 1848, a full seven decades later that Congress passed the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Imagine waiting 71 years to fulfill the right to be a legitimate citizen of the United States. And while many women in 2024 enjoy freedoms their great-grandmothers only dreamed of; the reality is there’s still a long way to go. Women have made great progress over the last century, because they met the challenges that all women have faced for decades. But treating women like objects and second-class citizens hasn’t yet been fully resolved. Women have been fighting female stereotypes for years; in the office, the home, the military, in healthcare, law, and many other aspects of their lives. The classic female stereotype provides the permission structure for second class treatment and inequity and harassment. Even so, now women are beginning to speak up. In 2016, finding herself the target of sexual harassment at work, Gretchen Carlson of Fox News declared, “Be brave and be fearless, and for God’s sake, stand up for yourself.”
If we follow timeline of the multiple waves of feminism from 1848 to 1980 it’s easy to see what the women’s rights movement has accomplished and also, how much work there is still to be done. The feminist movement from 1960-1980 was truly revolutionary. Inspired by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, women demanded gender equality, reproductive rights, better job opportunities and focused on the ugly truth of violence against women, and victim blaming. What do men think about the role of feminism and women?
Think tanks and academic research show that skepticism about feminism dominates current male thinking. According to a study conducted by IPSOS, 58% of men agreed that as far as equality for women, “things have gone far enough…”, a reflection of the “Bro” culture. But many women would disagree with that notion. The Pew Research Center cites that 71% of women in their recent survey believe that the country has not gone far enough in promoting women’s equal rights.
And in this election season, women have the power to make even more change. The Center for Women in Politics, a think tank associated with Rutgers University, found that “the number of female voters has exceeded the number of male voters in every presidential election since 1964”. The Brookings Institute found that “women accounted for 54.7% of the electorate and men accounted for 44%” based on the 2020 presidential election results. And in the tight 2024 race, in any of the 50 states, those numbers can make a big difference.
So, despite the fact that women hold only 21% of C-Suite positions, considering historical voting statistics, women have the power to influence the future. Toxic masculinity and the “Bro” culture will not follow women into the voting booth. If we factor in the recent rulings that have compromised women’s standing, women now have more impetus to cast a ballot. The voting booth may be the only place where women can close the equality gender gap.
Will women’s votes stop sexual harassment, objectification, lack of respect, and break the glass ceiling? Maybe not entirely, but as proven by history, women know how to take on the challenge, as our foremothers did since the days of Abagail Adams. Commenting on the recent US State-wide ballot initiatives, The Toronto Star made an interesting observation, “Women have overwhelmingly voted against government surveillance and regulation of the female body, while many male voters rather liked the idea of women tracked, demeaned and owned.”
Voting can help close the gender gap, in pay (women make 82 cents on the dollar that men make), in fair treatment on the job, in healthcare, and in power and decision making, among others. Remember, “the vote is the power, don’t let anyone take your power.”
“Rights are things which we get when we are strong enough to make our claim to them good. Today women are asserting their rights; tomorrow nobody will be foolhardy enough to question them.” – Helen Keller, 1920
