Quote: "If women were allowed to vote, they would bring to bear on politics their purity, piety, and domestic concerns, and thus purify government and make it more responsive to the needs of the home" (Campbell, 16)
Question: Considering the current political environment what do you believe women bring to politics? How does it compare with what Campbell predicted?
Hey Autumn! I think that it is important to note that Campbell is not making the argument that women would serve to purify government, but she is presenting that as an example from the "argument of expediency." She describes the argument of expediency as one that presumes that men and women are fundamentally different, and that it would be "desirable and prudent" to give women right because of the effect that it would have on society (for example, they'd aid in purifying politics because they're morally superior). But to address your question about what women bring to politics, I'd argue "not enough." We still see that the vast majority of politicians are male. 50% of the population is female, so why aren't 50% of the politicians representing the population female? Also, there are still prevalent remnants of this type of argument that women who speak out as a man's equal is lesser because of it. For example, it is rare to see a male politician referred to as a "bitch," a "whore," or a "slut," and yet Hilary Clinton has endured this for years. Women's right to vote isn't enough when men are still ultimately speaking for women when it comes to policy. Thus, women don't yet bring enough to politics, and the playing field is not yet even.
ReplyDeleteI believe women fit extremely well in politics, and am glad to see so many strong female leaders emerge over my lifetime. Women actually are more suited for politics than men are, considering it is a job that requires patience, a trait that women usually posses more so than men.
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