Continuing discussion on equal maternity/paternity leave

Hi all! I was very interested in the topic we touched upon at the end of class and conducted further research into Professor Antecol's study. I found a NY Times article that references Professor Antecol's study and provides a bit more detail about it than we discussed in class. One comment I found fascinating was from Alison Davis-Blake, the dean of the Ross School of Business:

"The problem, said Ms. Davis-Blake, is that 'giving birth is not a gender-neutral event,' recalling that during her pregnancy, 'I threw up every day.' She argued, 'Policies that are neutral in the eyes of a lawyer are not neutral in fact.'"

In this sense, I see Ms. Davis-Blake as advocating laws that do indeed recognize the differences that occur naturally between the sexes (such as the fact that women are the ones to bear children) and those differences that result from the demands that society places upon each of the sexes (such as the commonly accepted idea that women have a greater role to play in a child's life after birth). Thoughts on this article? Or on the topic at hand?

Decreasing the Voting Age to 16

Hey everyone!

Regarding what I mentioned in class about Takoma Park lowering their voting age for city elections, here are a couple of links to articles by the Washington Post about this:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/takoma-park-grants-16-year-olds-right-to-vote/2013/05/14/b27c52c4-bccd-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html?utm_term=.7cc884ed3812
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/takoma-park-16-year-old-savors-his-history-making-moment-at-the-polls/2013/11/03/89f00962-425c-11e3-b028-de922d7a3f47_story.html?utm_term=.6d010fd79028 (Fun Fact: I think the person this article is about goes to Pitzer). 

This happened about four years ago. At the same time they also passed amendments allowing same day voter registration and giving paroled felons the vote. Non-citizens (including undocumented immigrants) have also been allowed to vote in city elections, which is a practice that seems to be becoming more common in Maryland (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/college-park-decides-to-allow-noncitizens-to-vote-in-local-elections/2017/09/13/2b7adb4a-987b-11e7-87fc-c3f7ee4035c9_story.html?utm_term=.a6316763dc07).  

Woman's Suffrage in Daily Life

Women's Suffrage in Daily Life

Hey everyone,

I noticed that the Coolhaus ice cream I was eating the other day is made by a Certified Women-Owned Business. The company proudly displays this on the right side of the pint. I think it's interesting how the Certified Women-Owned Business icon is shown right next to the icons for Real California Milk and Locally Sourced Ingredients, making it something people can look out for when buying food products. Would you choose to buy a product specifically because it is made by a woman-owned business? 

I bet there are other women-owned food companies out there that do not display Certified-Women Owned Business on their products. What do you think are the pros and cons of displaying Certified Women-Owned Business on a product? 

Does Angela Merkel reject feminism?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/16/sunday-review/angela-merkel-feminist-germany.html?mcubz=3

An intriguing NY times article on Angela Merkel released today. It documents Merkel's general reluctance to describe herself as a feminist, and relates to some of our earlier conversations on how female politicians present themselves in the public sphere. Whether for political reasons or for not, Merkel appears to maintain a "gender neutral image" that doesn't necessarily subscribe to traditional ideals of femininity. The article also  includes Merkel's own reflections on femininity and politics, such as how she responds to commentary on her wardrobe.

It's an interesting read, especially in light of the fact that Merkel might be more progressive than some American female politicians - though I think her political party is socially conservative in some way.

Identity politics and women's suffrage

Hi all! I found an interesting article the other day about identity politics and its role in the Democratic Party and in furthering democratic goals. The interviewee, Mark Lilla, makes the sweeping claim that "Democrats’ focus on identity politics is destroying the party". As an example, he uses the Women's March earlier this year and argues:

"Lilla: Just an example that you know what happened at the beginning of the organizing of the Women’s March. After Trump’s election, it was a very simple idea: This woman in Hawaii posted something on social media saying, “We should just all go to Washington, and we ought to demonstrate against this president who has spoken about women the way he has, has acted the way he has, and to make our voices heard.” What could be simpler to rally people around the country? And immediately what happened is she was criticized because she hadn’t created a committee that was multicultural, everyone had to feel included, and the thing really ground to a halt.

Interviewer: Wait, but it happened, it was one of the biggest marches of the modern era and broadly considered a giant success.

Lilla: Oh well, it was with us. But for instance, one feminist group that’s also religious and pro-life was originally accepted into the coalition, and when it was discovered that they were there by other groups, they were disinvited. This happens in public. I mean this was on Fox News every night."

I start to see Lilla's point, that the method of inclusivity, and specifically who can and should be included, can slow, complicate, and even undermine a political movement. And, I think similar fragmentations, often due to class and racial identity, appeared in the women's suffrage movement. What do you all think of Lilla's claim? Do you think his argument holds? Does it apply to the women's suffrage movement?

You can find the full interview here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/interrogation/2017/08/mark_lilla_thinks_identity_politics_are_destroying_the_democratic_party.html 

International Women's Suffrage

If you're wondering about the international movement for women's suffrage, take a look at this timeline and this graph.  It's intriguing to see when women gained the vote in various countries.

Suffrage Movement in Popular Culture

I'm always curious about the ways that the women's suffrage movement is depicted in popular culture, as those images shape public memory. Here are two examples. If you think of others, please add them here!

The "Sister Suffragette" song from the 1964 Walt Disney classic, Mary Poppins:

And this parody of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance":