Women In Politics
sheril | March 16, 2009Curiously Laura Ingraham is supposed to be someone who 'stands up for conservative women'. Yet when Meghan McCain criticized Ann Coulter, the best Ingraham could do was to make fun of the 24-year-old's body, joking that she didn't get a 'role in the Real World' because 'they don't like plus-sized models.'
Memo to Ingraham: This kind of neanderthal behavior is not all that becoming of a 'positive role model'. The message we should be all sending to women everywhere--right, left, and across the spectrum--is the truth: Our worth is defined not by how we look, but who we are.
So if that's…
sheril | March 11, 2009
The blogosphere is buzzing over the new middle school aged Dora The Explorer because of her recently released silhouette.
Over at Packaging Girlhood, Lynn and Sharon suggest:
If the original Dora grew up, she wouldn't be a fashion icon or a shopaholic. She'd develop her map reading skills and imagine the places she could go. She'd capitalize on those problem solving skills to design new ways to bring fresh water to communities in need around the world. Maybe she'd become a world class runner or follow her love of animals and become a wildlife preservationist or biologist.
Wait... what?! We'…
sheril | March 9, 2009I'm off to the city for a panel in recognition of International Women's Day. Given the theme, I'd like to point readers to a recent piece from The Guardian asking 'Where are the books by women with big ideas?'
Books like Freakonomics, defining significant cultural or economic trends with a punchy title, never seem to be produced by women. But why?
As you can imagine, I have much to say on the topic coming soon, but am first interested in your reaction to the article. Here's an excerpt to get us started:
Julia Cheiffetz, blogging at publishing website HarperStudio, dubs the genre "big think…
sheril | March 6, 2009On Monday, I'm delighted to be attending a panel discussion in honor of the 2009 International Women's Day celebrations! This global holiday celebrates the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. Here in NYC, the World Policy Institute, the Women's Leadership Initiative at Demos, and The American-Scandinavian Foundation have organized:
The Hillary Effect: How Will the Secretary of State Change the Status of Women Worldwide?
Though Mrs. Clinton is the third female US Secretary of State, some think that her appointment could herald a new chapter…
sheril | February 24, 2009Former Representative Florence Dwyer (R-NJ, 1957-1973) once explained:
"A Congresswoman must look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, speak on any given subject with authority and most of all work like a dog."
I've written about sex in Congress before because it's a subject where the percentages could probably benefit from a bit of adjusting. By no means do I imply any candidate should be chosen based on number of X chromosomes, but as I've explained in the past, it's important for women to be a larger part of the decision making process given we represent about 50% of the…
sheril | November 4, 2008
Memo to Mrs. Dole: Those dishonest negative campaign tactics fooled no one.
sheril | September 5, 2008I've been receiving emails and comments about Sarah Palin lately, and some are questioning my commitment toward advancing women in politics and elsewhere--a subject I regularly write about:
In spite of the go-women perspective at this site, I suspect it may not include "conservative" women or women with opposing viewpoints.
[Here's the most outrageous email.]
Look folks, it's true that Mrs. Palin and I have lady parts. We've both lived in the northern United States, and we each recently welcomed new additions to our families. Similarity ends there.
Sarah Palin's politics are not 'pro-woman…
sheril | August 28, 2008
Michelle Obama, as quoted in the NYTimes:
I was raised to believe I could do it all, and that was very empowering. Then I got into the work force and realized there was really no support for me to do it all. ... We either have to fix that or be honest about it.
I share a similar perspective.
sheril | August 26, 2008I agree that Eleanor Roosevelt would be proud... or to quote Nate Silver who's live blogging from Denver:
9:03 PM MDT. One thing about Clinton -- really both Clintons -- they understand the audience they are speaking to better than any other politicians in America.
9:01 PM MDT. Like Schweitzer, Hillary started out a little slow, but there are Republicans kicking chairs over right now in RNC offices all across America.
sheril | August 25, 2008It should come as no surprise to regular readers that I am a tremendous fan of Michelle Obama. She just gave, as Andrew Sullivan describes:
One of the best, most moving, intimate, rousing, humble, and beautiful speeches I've heard from a convention platform. Maybe she should be running for president. You don't need any commentary from me. This was a home-run. And sincere. Thank God that in the end, the truth struggles out there. Just look at her mother's face.
Listen to Michelle's inspiring words from Denver:
sheril | August 19, 2008The NYTimes Claudia Dreifus recently interviewed Dr. Nina V. Fedoroff, science adviser to the secretary of state and administrator of the Agency for International Development:
Q. WHY DOES THE SECRETARY OF STATE NEED A SCIENCE ADVISER?
A. Because science and technology are the drivers of the 21st century's most successful economies.
There are more than six billion of us, and the problems of a crowded planet are everyone's: food, water, energy, climate change, environmental degradation. Other nations, even those that have lost respect for our culture and politics, still welcome collaboration on…
sheril | May 1, 2008Here on Scienceblogs, many of us ponder the gender disparity in the sciences, but the gap goes well beyond the ivory towers into another area we discuss at The Intersection worth exploring:
Congress: women hold 87, or 16.3%, of the 535 seats in the 110th US Congress -- 16, or 16.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 71, or 16.3%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. In addition, three women serve as Delegates to the House from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC.
So if half the population has about 16% representation across the board on Capitol Hill, what's going on?…