Is The Discrimination Against Women? Politics A Myth Or Is It Reality?

This was certainly true in the 1860’s when women were not even allowed to vote for who they believe should represent the country. Around the world there are 32 countries that don’t guarantee gender equality. Included in the list of these 32 is the United States. The equal rights amendment would allow women equality in all areas of the constitution but this has not been ratified. Back in the 1860’s as well as today, we can see the affects of this inequality with the law and how it promotes discrimination. America is behind now Iceland and Rwanda with the 28th spot on the “Global Gender Gap Report”. In the late 1860s women were not participating in government, had minimal opportunities and participation in the work force. Though the Civil War had employed many women in factories, women were still heavily reliant on their husbands. In addition to working outside of the house, women during these times were also expected to be a housewife. Today, these aspects of society are still true. Currently in the United States, only 66 percent of women are employed, and only 19 perecent of our government is represented by women. Looking at these statistics, a direct connection can be seen between the gender inequalities today and in 1866.

Numerous systemic barriers are preventing women from entering the political workforce including (but no limited to): family, the brutality of politics, male domination, stereotypes and traditionalism. Family plays probably the most important role in women’s decision-making on whether to enter politics.

Overall, the representation of elected women now stands at about 25 % at each level of government, including on municipal councils, in provincial/territorial legislatures and at federal level. (Parliament of Canada, 2016) With this significant gender parity in politics, the paper examines the causes of the under-representation of Canadian women in politics. Findings are based on scholarly articles and their analyzed data on why do fewer Canadian women run for political office. When taken together, the results presented in this paper argues that (1) unwelcoming environment (women and family unfriendly working environment) with lack of support in political engagement, (2) women’s experience of exclusion, paternalism and systemic discrimination in political realm, and (3) media’s portrayal of women as to be marginalized by the society are what cause Canadian women to be under-represented in politics. Finally, the paper raises an interesting question from the topic of gender disparity into further discussion of the discrimination within discriminated group women other than those privileged ones who are likely to be selected in public

Women have been a vital key to the shaping and progression of our society. Throughout time, women’s roles and opportunities in the family, workplace, and society have greatly evolved. They started from being housewives that don’t have many rights, even in the household, to being valued citizens in our

Women and men are nestled into predetermined cultural molds when it comes to gender in American society. Women play the roles of mothers, housekeepers, and servants to their husbands and children, and men act as providers, protectors, and heads of the household. These gender roles stem from the many culture myths that exist pertaining to America, including those of the model family, education, liberty, and of gender. The majority of these myths are misconceptions, but linger because we, as Americans, do not analyze or question them. The misconception of gender suggests that biological truths no longer dictate our gender roles as men and women; they derive from cultural myths. We, as a nation, need

genders. Women may have the same political rights, however they are still degraded and seen as inferior to men. So, women in politics are now trying to prove that they are just as capable as men are. However, their attempts are being suppressed due to the inappropriate comments against them. Sexist remarks in the media against female political candidates is the reason why there is a smaller amount of women in government.

In reality, however, women are equally and in some ways more qualified to hold leadership positions than men. Although there is no single explanation for why women are underrepresented in politics, the gender gap in the political arena stems from the lack of female participation in elections as women are often discouraged or feel threatened by society to run for political office. Young women who aspire a career in politics encounter both structural and emotional barriers, which prevent them from running for political office. Women battle issues of self-confidence, face stereotypes, and derive false perceptions of political campaigns, all of which broaden the gender gap in the political

Wilson points out that women are steadily gaining traction in legislature, but at a severely slow pace when compared to other Western democracies. Over 30% of all Democratic state legislator are women. Conversely, fewer than one in six Republican state legislators are women. The chances of a woman winning or losing a political election is no greater than a man’s chances.

Research by Singleton (2005) indicated that the wave of equal right revolutions significantly increased the participatory willingness of women in politics. Compared to the late 1880s, women could now fully vote and participate in the national elections. The number of women who came forward for elective posts in the American system such as senators, Governors and Congress representatives significantly increased in the 1980s onwards. In fact, 1992 experienced the highest number of women participants and aspirants for the various elective posts in the American political systems. Afterwards, women could even vie for the presidency as it was the case for the US 2016 elections for the post of POTUS. This is a wave that developed from the

Some people believe women are not socialized in a way that prepares them to hold political powers. Some view politics as a masculine domain. This is a gender stereotype. It is the public’s perception that women cannot make a difference in politics which is often influenced by the

A question asked by many Americans is why there aren’t many women involved in politics and hold offices? This will certainly change in the future, take Hillary Clinton as the incipient. There are various components that will give her many votes, such as her understanding of economic inequality, support for LGBT, and the fact that she’s pro choice, or her wanting to fix citizens united. In an article on The Nation, Steven Hill indicated that “ethnically diverse and divided nations that elect women rather than men to key national leadership offices end up with better economic performance.” (“Why Does the US Still Have So Few Women in Office?” The Nation. Steven Hill, 7 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.) Women are effective legislatures; hereinafter in the article, researchers have found that the use of fair-representation electoral systems is a reason why women succeed in democracies. Women have the ability to develop plain but effective financial decision makings which will make a nation thrive. (Showing a growth of gross domestic product for example). Women don’t compromise as men do in Congress, and they strive to achieve policy goals. Global business is extremely important for America, and if women have strategies that prosper country relations, why wouldn’t there be more women participating in office

Political participation is when one partakes in an activity that has the intent or effect of influencing government action. The most political participation women partake in is voting. National documents do not refer to women and refer to them in context as wives, mothers or property. Most of the freedoms and virtues given in those documents were to white men. McBride and Parry discuss of the Supreme Court views women's rights. They state “At the same time, the Supreme Court guidelines leave room for legislation that treats men and women differently, with potential for unequal treatment. The equality dilemma remains unsolved” (47). Since the nineteenth amendment was ratified not much has been done about women’s equality and while the court promises equality for all it does not live up to its promise. A lot has changed since the twentieth century and the courts should work with the government to reach decisions on various issues discussed in this paper. In terms of political participation and the political parties the numbers are again disportionate. In agreement with this, Barbara Burelli states in her book Women and Political Participation; A Reference Handbook “Women make up a small portion of Democrat and Republican delegates. Women have consistently reported lower levels of involvement, and the gap has not

Not only were women voting for their nation’s officials, they were some of the ones being elected. Starting in as early as 1866, women had been running for various public offices and in some rare cases they won the election. For example, Susanna Salter was elected mayor of Argonia, Kansas in 1887; Martha Hughes Cannon was elected to the Utah State Senate in 1896; and Jeannette Rankin entered the United States House of Representatives in 1917. By the 1920s, women had become more involved in government and were being elected in greater numbers. They had the opportunity and power to organize laws and bills that they had

Women are underrepresented in political offices at the national and local levels. Currently, only 17 women serve in the United States Senate out of 100 seats and only 16 percent of the United States House of Representatives are female. Why is this a problem? Legislatures, the House of

Not only are woman subjected to society norms based on their personality characteristics, but also on their life choices and “domestic responsibilities” questions arise for woman like “who will care for you children and husband”. Montague Kern and Paige P. Edley state that women will continue to be “criticized for abandoning their traditional family roles” (1). This topic is not something that is brought up to their male counterparts. I don’t believe I have ever heard a man be questioned on who was going to assume the responsibility of raising their children. So until society genuinely accepts that raising children and other domestic issues are shared endeavors, then women will continue to face this barrier. (Robson, 208)