In the year of 2018, where women represent half of the world’s population, they are surely dominating in sports, entertainment and especially politics, so the question remains, what can women not do?
Over-time, there’s been the outdated stigma that women are only capable of the bare minimum, in comparison to men. According to Huffington Post, “In spite of significant progress made for women’s rights, women are still confined to stereotypical gender roles, namely, bearing significant responsibility for childcare and household affairs.”
Needless to say, the lack of representation of women and diversity in politics is no surprise. In a recent post, USA Today stated, “Despite the fact that women are just as likely to win open seats as men and just as likely to be able to draw the financial means, they remain at a structural disadvantage from which they are unlikely to achieve equality within our lifetimes.”
Such structural disadvantages vary from gender, race, ethnicity and so forth. Yet from California’s first African-American senator Kamala Harris to our first African-American First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, women are striving to denounce that narrative time and time again.
Using that disadvantage to further themselves in seats of Congress and The White House, women are becoming the epitome of “Reclaiming my time.” Said by Congresswoman Maxine Waters during a House Financial Services Committee of August 2017, the three words sparked a mass conversation among the public. Waters' statement was made after her direct question to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was purposefully ignored. However, this type of dismissal is quite familiar for many women and women of color.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters continued to propel the ongoing women's movement forward through her refusal to allow her question to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin be ignored in August 2017.
In essence, continuously being silenced, spoken over, ignored and overall dismissed has caused women to not only reclaim their time in office, but as well as their time at the polls.
From the time women gained the right to voice their opinion in Congress, 1917, the ratio of women to men have spiraled. Of a 2018 data report, according to the Washington Post, “Women made huge gains in Virginia’s House in last fall’s elections. Twelve women joined the chamber, all replacing men and bringing the total to an all-time high of 28 out of 100 seats. All but one of the 12 women were Democrats who flipped Republican seats, bringing their party within a hair of a majority for the first time in years.”
In addition, the Center for American Progress accounted, "Fifty-three percent more women taking their voice and vote to the polls, women ultimately decide the outcome of the presidential elections. "
In a 2017 study by Rutgers University, reports displayed, “In recent elections, voter turnout rates for women have equaled or exceeded voter turnout rates for men. Women, who constitute more than half the population, have cast between four and seven million more votes than men in recent elections.”
Ultimately, women are reining in society by having their voices and votes heard. It's safe to say that women are a force to be reckoned with and will continue to thrive in all they do.
Courtesy of Politico
