Video: Women, Power, Media, Politics Panel Leaves Questions Unanswered
Yesterday the New York Times reported that women constitute a mere 13% of Wikipedia editors. This is a completely self-selected effort. No closed doors, no glass ceilings.
What’s the problem? There are no excuses, though many reasons remain for this disparity–not unlike the behaviors of women in politics (or not), in business, and women in top media positions.
I had the opportunity to moderate (if one can call it that) a panel of fabulous women at the 92Y Sunday 1/23. It was icy outside but The Nation columnist Katha Pollitt, Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY 18), and Rebecca Traister, author of the Big Girls Don’t Cry, warmed things up quickly inside.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdx0parfqys&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
In the video clip above, Rebecca revealed how she found her own niche as a feminist writer, Katha explored how the media either helps or hinders women (one website she likes very much is Jezebel.com), and Nita addressed the meanness women in Congress are dealing with now. Read Chloe Angyal’s report on Feministing too.
INTENTIONING
Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women
Will Take The Lead for (Everyone’s) Good
The new book from Gloria Feldt about the future, taking the leadership lessons learned from this disruption and creating a better world for all through the power of intention.
But still–I contend that the only way to change the catalogue of awfuls these women cited is for women to push forward toward parity and change the system along the way. So I asked the panelists to propose solutions. When I get the complete video, I’ll share some of those clips with you.
Meanwhile, I’d like to know what you propose to move the dial from 17%–the share of Congressional seats held by women–to something close to 50-50. What do you suggest?
GLORIA FELDT is the New York Times bestselling author of several books including No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power, a sought-after speaker and frequent contributor to major news outlets, and the Co-Founder and President of Take The Lead. People has called her “the voice of experience,” and among the many honors she has been given, Vanity Fair called her one of America’s “Top 200 Women Legends, Leaders, and Trailblazers,” and Glamour chose her as a “Woman of the Year.”
As co-founder and president of Take The Lead, a leading women’s leadership nonprofit, her mission is to achieve gender parity by 2025 through innovative training programs, workshops, a groundbreaking 50 Women Can Change The World immersive, online courses, a free weekly newsletter, and events including a monthly Virtual Happy Hour program and a Take The Lead Day symposium that reached over 400,000 women globally in 2017.
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I hope I am not the only one reading this who has a suggestion. It might help if women who might countenance running for office, but are disillusioned with the Democratic Party, knew they have an alternative. The Free Soil Party is seeking volunteers to represent women at every level. The Democratic Party is a sinking ship that has presumed the majority of women will support Democrats regardless of how egregiously women are betrayed, just because the obvious alternative is even worse. The antiwar and environmental movements are in the same boat, betrayed and taken for granted because they appear to have nowhere else to go. It is long overdue to call that bluff.
Aletha – you are not the only one reading this who has a suggestion (albeit I’m a bit tardy)!!! 😉 I am a registered independent because I feel a bit like a square peg when trying to fit into any political party “hole.” However, if I were to run (or get a friend to!) – I would want to have the best shot possible at gaining support and winning – and alas, I think that may mean aligning myself with the dems. I hear (and share) your frustration – but I feel that we don’t have time to start/back another party (yes, I’m part of that camp) – I would rather get the dems to refocus on my concerns (liberal social agenda, green, pro-business/family, etc.).
As for getting more women to run, I would love to shift the emphasis from nannygates, wardrobe/appearance, coldness/bitchyness, family life (husband/kids or lack of kids), etc. that seems to crop up every time a qualified woman runs for office or is nominated for a judicial post, etc. to something substantive – like their intelligence, knowledge of policy, the Constitution/law, economics, history, etc. (Errr Sarah Palin!) qualifications… or the deficient state of childcare and family-friendly policies in this country.
I wish you luck getting the Democratic Party to refocus on your concerns. From all I can see, it is moving in the opposite direction. Democrats have skillfully played on the fears of women to make the case they offer women “the best shot possible at gaining support and winning,” but where has that gotten women?
As the saying goes, insanity is making the same mistake over and over and expecting a different result. I do not want to say trusting Democrats to give women the best shot is insane, but I do think it is a mistake women cannot afford to keep repeating. I would ask you, and all women, to think about the issues that were brought to the fore about Hillary Clinton, by other Democrats, that had nothing to do with substance or qualifications. Though I could not support her, I think she was undoubtedly far more qualified for President than Barack Obama. One could speculate forever about how he beat her. Gloria analyzed that in her book, though she left out many of the reasons I and many other women could not support Hillary Clinton. Be that as it may, I thought it was quite clear that the Democratic Party proved itself yet again an unreliable ally for women.
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