Blog #8 - The Fight for a Second Glance: Women's Rights

While President Obama spoke at the newly designated Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument on Capitol Hill, he mentioned the great fight for women's rights over time. "I want young girls and boys to come here 10, 20, a hundred years from now and know that women fought for equality; it was not just given to them," he said. It isn't a secret to anyone that women are outnumbered in significant places such as congress and almost any other political position. What President Obama mentioned at this opening was just a sliver of the tragedy and oppression that women have had to fight throughout history. The leader of our country didn't skim over this issue, though. He stated that soon, the gender barrier in the White House would be broken, and children would be surprised that there wasn't a female in office for this long. Vice President Joe Biden also spoke out about the shortage of females in politics saying, "This country's ready for a woman. There's no problem. We're going to be able to elect a woman in this country."

In my opinion, women are overlooked much too often. We are just as capable as any man at accomplishing tasks that are just as challenging. It does surprise me, though, that here hasn't been a woman in the White House yet. While this generation isn't perfect, I'd like to think that the thought of a female president is something that is far from taboo in today's society. But, I can't look at the political world through rose colored lenses. While I happen to support Bernie Sanders, I think seeing Hillary Clinton in office would be nothing short of monumental. It might give women everywhere the motivation to take on whatever path they choose in life, no matter what their male peers are telling them. 

This relates to class because we are talking about congress. Issues such as women's rights usually produce an attitudinal view in congressmen and women. An attitudinal view is when a member's ideology determines his/her vote. Also, Hillary Clinton is the former Speaker of the House, which is the position directly under the Vice President. The Speaker of the House leads the House of Representatives and is 3rd in line to the presidency.