HILLARY Clinton could have become the first female president. Sarah Palin might have been the first female vice president. That neither woman made the cut wasn’t a rejection of women in politics per se. It was a choice between competing candidates.
Not really a "front page,", this article on Oklahoma women in politics appeared in the Sunday, February 4, 1923 Daily Oklahoman. Bevy of portraits depicted Oklahoma women then-currently holding public office, such as Mrs. Mabel Bassett (lower left hand corner of photos), then State Commissioner of Charities.
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Some proponents of increasing the number of women in politics seem to favor a quota system to close the gender gap in politics, yet we suspect that many of those upset by the lack of females in office vehemently opposed Palin and the re-election of Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern.
Gains are being made by women in politics. A record number of female lawmakers will serve in the 111th Congress and state legislatures. A New England state will be the first in the nation to have a majority of females comprising the membership of a legislative body, the New Hampshire Senate.
Still, complaints are being voiced that Barack Obama hasn’t appointed enough women to his Cabinet. In naming Clinton as his choice for secretary of state, he cut the female membership of the Senate by one — although that will likely be negated by the appointment of a woman to replace her.
In Oklahoma, the 2009 Legislature will have 12 females in the House and five in the Senate, about 11 percent of the total. This places the state in a low ranking among legislatures.
Nationwide, women will hold 24 percent of all state legislative seats this year. That’s up only slightly from last year but a six-fold increase from 1969.
Every state that borders Oklahoma has a higher contingent of women in their legislatures. Colorado leads the nation with 39 percent. Yet Oklahoma has a female lieutenant governor, schools superintendent and insurance commissioner. The governor’s race in two years may well be a contest between two women — U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin for the Republicans and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins for the Democrats.
The 111th Congress will include at least 74 women in the 435-member House and at least 16 women in the 100-member Senate. One female governor, Arizona’s Janet Napolitano, has been named to Obama’s Cabinet, but New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s withdrawal as commerce secretary-designate means a female lieutenant governor won’t take his place in Santa Fe.
Nearly 1,800 women will be serving in legislatures starting this month, an increase of 35 from last year. That’s not nearly enough for Linda Tarr-Whelan, former ambassador to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. She’s unhappy with the nation’s low ranking among world governments in the number of women serving in national politics.
We doubt, though, that Tarr-Whelan gave a moment’s thought to voting for a person who would have been the first female vice president. Like most of us, she voted for the candidate, not the gender.
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Affirmative action was originally mandated to enable minorities to obtain employment. It was hijacked by the feminist movement that somehow got a group that compromised 51% of the population named as a "minority". Due to both instances, white male applicants that were better qualified were passed over because of this mandated bigotry.
By state and federal legislation, it is illegal to pay someone less based on anything except their ability, education, seniority and attendance. Women as a group don't earn what men as a group do because as an average they work fewer hours per week, refuse dirty and dangerous work and are more likely to take leaves of absences for personal or family reasons. When like is compared to like, women are paid exactly what men are, if not more. In NY city, one study found that women there were paid *better* than equally situated men.
To Woman in OKC. You may be right about this. Question, "Why aren't more women in Oklahoma running for elective offices?". I do not know the answer to this question, but it is a question worth asking.
Maria, I favor ratifying the ERA. The internut has a 200 year history of the women's fight for suffrage. You would have to SEARCH it for yourself as it is way too long to paste even if I knew how. I have never understood why a woman doing exactly the same job is many times paid less, but I find it in the Old Testament even. Check out Lev. 27.1-9. Not talking about wages, but estimations of worth. A male from 20-6- years old-50 shekels of silver, a female-30 shekels of silver,from 5-20 years old-20 shekels, and for a female 5-20 years old -10 shekels, for a male from 1 month old to 5 years old-5 shekels but for the female-3 shekels.Over 60 years old, 15 shekels for the man and 10 shekels for the woman. I don't see how that has anything to do with wages, but that is what was pointed out to me many years ago by a guy that didn't want to pay a woman what he was paying the men. He was what even I would call a Bible Thumper.
Phyllis Schlafley hardly speaks for all women. I fail to see how the ERA could legalize same-sex marriage, and even if it did, how would it work against women? And if you want to talk equality, look no further than the payscale for women and men. With all else being equal - skillset, training, family leave - women still earn far less than men do for the same job in this country. Is that equality?
While the ERA amendment passed both the House and Senate, it was reintroduced for the 110th session mainly by Sen Edward Kennedy and Rep.Carolyn Maloney for ratification by the States. Surprising to me, it is the women that do not want it ratified, such as Phyllis Schlafley who fears it may legalize same-sex marriages and a few other reasons which they see would work against women.
The actual phrase "affirmative action" was first used in President John F. Kennedy's 1961 Executive Order 10925 which requires federal contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." The same language was later used in Lyndon Johnson's 1965 Executive Order 11246.
In 1967, Johnson expanded the Executive Order to include affirmative action requirements to benefit women.
Johnson expanded the EO as you can see Phil. However the ERA was not passed until 1975. As you can see the first Affirmative Action did not deal with women at all.
Did I say we needed more options Phil? Nope. I said we will need more funding. When this is accomplished more women will be available to run. Men as candidates face the same problem. Male and female need money. Bottom line.
Sallie, you're saying that over 3 decades (and a round of legally mandated sexism known as "affirmative action") is not enough for women to succeed? How long and how many more special options do they need?
Maria, I have spoken directly to feminists. While they like to use the dictionary description of "feminism" their actions tell a very different story. Exactly what rights do women in the US lack that men have? (hint: none) Women have rights equal to that of men yet they have more legal options. Both state and federal governments have literally hundreds of bureaus or agencies dealing directly with the advancement of, or specifically benefiting women but not one for men. Equality? Hardly.
Even after the passage of the ERA in 1972, it was not until the year 1975 that women who owned their own business were allowed to have credit in their own name without a male co-signer of said business. There are now more women millionaires in our country, more college graduates who fulfill executive positions in the business arena and our expansion and growth continue. Fewer women run I believe as the cost of any campaign has reached astronomical amounts and fundraising is difficult. Eventually this obstacle will be overcome and more women will run for public office. Don’t be scared fellas; we will be as considerate of you as you have been of us throughout history. Phil, Yukon…don’t have a fit about the last part; that was written tongue in cheek.
John R, doesn't that lead us to the question of why women in Oklahoma are not running for office? It is something that needs to be considered if we want to move forward as a state.
woman in okc, Oklahoma City - Jan 8, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Phil, it might help if you talked to an actual feminist, instead of believing the caricatures you hear on the television and radio. I'm a feminist, and I definitely cast ballots based on the candidates' positions, not on their gender. I'd like to see more women in politics - not as a goal in and of itself, but because that would be a sign that women have achieved a greater measure of equality than we have now. What that means in action is that I'll go further in my support of a female candidate I agree with - volunteering more, contributing more, etc. And for the record, feminists by and large don't hate men. We hate patriarchy, which is a different thing entirely.
Let me see if I remember this correctly from my 7th grade social studies class. If memory serves, for someone to to be in the Oklahoma Legislature, or Congress, that person must first file for candidacy for the office, then campaign for votes, then be declaerd the winner of the seat by being voted in by a majority of registered voters.
The reason there are fewer women serving in the Oklahoma Legislature than in other states is a simple one; fewer women have run for office, and therefore, fweer women have been elected to office.
For this to change, more women must first run for office, and prove to their voters that they are the right people for the offices they seek.
One: the women who you refer to that are demanding numbers supercede ability are still called "feminists" even though the term has become tainted over the years of their savage promotion of anti-male sexism.
Believing a feminist would vote for the person and not the sex is infantile. I have no doubt people like Tarr-Whelan cast ballots for the candidate's sex above all else. _____ Two: The fact remains that there are smaller numbers of women running for office. Since fewer women run, fewer women get elected. Demanding equal numbers, especially in politics, is a product of socialism, not democracy.
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By state and federal legislation, it is illegal to pay someone less based on anything except their ability, education, seniority and attendance. Women as a group don't earn what men as a group do because as an average they work fewer hours per week, refuse dirty and dangerous work and are more likely to take leaves of absences for personal or family reasons. When like is compared to like, women are paid exactly what men are, if not more. In NY city, one study found that women there were paid *better* than equally situated men.
In 1967, Johnson expanded the Executive Order to include affirmative action requirements to benefit women.
Johnson expanded the EO as you can see Phil. However the ERA was not passed until 1975. As you can see the first Affirmative Action did not deal with women at all.
The reason there are fewer women serving in the Oklahoma Legislature than in other states is a simple one; fewer women have run for office, and therefore, fweer women have been elected to office.
For this to change, more women must first run for office, and prove to their voters that they are the right people for the offices they seek.
Believing a feminist would vote for the person and not the sex is infantile. I have no doubt people like Tarr-Whelan cast ballots for the candidate's sex above all else. _____ Two: The fact remains that there are smaller numbers of women running for office. Since fewer women run, fewer women get elected. Demanding equal numbers, especially in politics, is a product of socialism, not democracy.