I recently discovered a very cool new blog called Sociological Images, run by Professor Lisa D. Wade at Occidental College. Sometimes, images speak more than a thousand words. Much, much more, here. (Thanks, Virginia, for the heads up!)
Earlier this month, Facebook.com teamed up with The Case Foundation to present a Giving Challenge–Facebook will award money to Causes with the most amount of unique donors. That’s right, not the highest amount of money raised, but the highest number of unique donors. So even the smallest donation really, really counts. On behalf of the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, I’m posting this request:
We’re asking you to donate $10 and recruit your friends to do the same in the 24-hour period starting 3PM Eastern/12PM Pacific on this Tuesday, January 15th through 3PM Eastern/12PM Pacific on this Thursday, January 16th to help Woodhull win $1000!
If you miss those dates, you can still help us out by donating and recruiting – we can still win the 50-day challenge! Read more about the challenge here.
Remember they are interested in unique donors so the more individuals that donate $10 the greater the chances that Woodhull could get a $1,000 match for the day and $50,000 for the 50 day challenge.
Happy New Year!
Wende Jager-Hyman
Taking a break from election obsession to post this announcement for an upcoming event close to my heart. If in the NYC area, join me at St. John Church (44 John Street) on Jan. 18 at 7pm! Courtney Martin and I will be introducing as New York City’s young women writers read, in pairs, with the women writers who inspire them.
And huge, huge thank yous to those who made end-of-year donations to this fabulous organization. Your helps makes all the difference in the world.
Given all the attention this week on feminism, the age gap, and younger women’s vote, I thought I’d post here an interview I did for Women’s Radio that just went up. Have at it 🙂
I’m late on this one, but I’m jumping for joy that Feministe’s Jill Filopovic is now a presence at AlterNet. Jill is the editor of their newly-launched Reproductive Justice and Gender section. If you haven’t been there yet, GO! Go now! To whet your appetite, here’s a sampling of stories included in the roundup over there today:
Hillary’s Gender Is a Bigger Deal Than We’d Like to Admit
Megan Garber, Columbia Journalism Review. January 9, 2008.
An in-depth look at media coverage of Clinton’s emotion.
Maribel Rosas, American Sexuality Magazine.
A young Latina woman chooses to give birth, and discovers her mother’s support.
Gender Equality Cheers and Jeers. January 8, 2008.
The Reality Behind Hollywood Pregnancies
Susie Bright, SusieBright.com. January 7, 2008.
Here’s some of the things you can look forward to in your unplanned Hollywood pregnancy.
Pop Culture Pregnancies, Teen Edition
Katha Pollitt, The Nation. January 7, 2008.
Teens getting pregnant: bad. Teens having babies: good. If this makes no sense, wake up and smell the Enfamil: it’s 2008!
Click here to get at the links.
Some levity for ya’ll this morning, in the midst of all the seriosity. My friend Steve Doppelt had a great piece in the Chicago Tribune the other week, urging us to vote for the candidate we’d prefer to sit down with at lunch in the high school cafeteria. Read it, and get your funny on.
(For the record, Steve and I went to high school together. He was the Artsy Shy Guy. I was the Folksy Pom Pom Girl. Don’t ask!)
Having written a book on feminism and the age gap, it’s ENDLESSLY interesting to me the way younger women’s votes are being taken as a barometer of the state of feminism. To wit, Michael Barone begins his U.S. News article, “Young Women, Feminism, and Hillary Clinton,” like so:
“It’s interesting that in Iowa, Hillary Clinton lost to Barack Obama by a wide margin among younger women. The idea of a first woman president evidently is not of great appeal to them. I think this is part of a larger story about the decline, or perhaps the maturation, of American feminism.”
As Ann over at feministing notes, the reasons one chooses one’s candidate are often much more complicated than that.
Regardless, anyone seen the breakdown of women voters by age in New Hampshire yet? Just curious. I know I gotta write more about this somewhere…so many things to write, so little time! Alas.
Meanwhile, be sure to check out the February issue of More for a forum I coordinated in which women in the public eye weigh in with their thoughts on Hillary. Their responses may surprise you.
Back in September, I posted on those Gallup polls that found younger women supporting Hillary in greater numbers than older women. Remember those polls? Dana Goldstein at The American Prospect did a nice report on younger women’s Hillary enthusiasm a while ago too. In Iowa, things went the other way. Whether this trend play out nationally remains to be seen. But folks are already talking that way. Writes Gloria Steinem in today’s NYTimes op-ed:
“What worries me is that some women, perhaps especially younger ones, hope to deny or escape the sexual caste system; thus Iowa women over 50 and 60, who disproportionately supported Senator Clinton, proved once again that women are the one group that grows more radical with age.”
That older women are more radical argument–I just don’t want to believe it! And today, this young(ish) woman is coming out with an announcement: I’m supporting Hillary. I join Veronica–see comments in post below. Yesterday’s “iron my shirt” assholes being one–but just one–of the things that pushed me over the edge. (Addendum: And if you think those hecklers were isolates, see comments, below.)
Gloria is supporting Hillary too. Says she:
“I’m supporting Senator Clinton because like Senator Obama she has community organizing experience, but she also has more years in the Senate, an unprecedented eight years of on-the-job training in the White House, no masculinity to prove, the potential to tap a huge reservoir of this country’s talent by her example, and now even the courage to break the no-tears rule. I’m not opposing Mr. Obama; if he’s the nominee, I’ll volunteer. Indeed, if you look at votes during their two-year overlap in the Senate, they were the same more than 90 percent of the time. Besides, to clean up the mess left by President Bush, we may need two terms of President Clinton and two of President Obama.”
Here’s to two terms for Hillary, two for Obama. And hell, if Edwards is man enough to take back his real-politicians-don’t-cry comment, two for him then too.
Yes, folks, she’s a human. DUH. I was actually touched by Hillary’s choked up moment yesterday (see clip above), and impressed by Obama’s response: “I didn’t see what happened … [but] I know this process is a grind, so that’s not something I care to comment on.” And I’m so down with Rebecca Traister on John Edwards’ response. Said Edwards, “I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are tough business, but being president of the United States is also tough business.” Unclassy, tough guy.
Once again, to cite research from Catalyst, if you’re a woman in leadership, you’re damned if you do, doomed if you don’t. Def don’t miss Gloria Steinem’s op-ed on it all in today’s New York Times, which my mother called to tell me about this morning (thanks, Mom!) and which I am now off to read.
Meanwhile, back in the land of actual issues,
Marc at Feminist Dad notes that when Take Care Net issued a survey to all the presidential candidates with questions about policy support on issues like FMLA, child care, child care workers, other paid and unpaid family caregivers, and victims of domestic violence, only the Dems responded. The Republican candidates didn’t even bother. Say wha? Survey results are here.
Don’t miss Kerry Howly’s op-ed in today’s New York Times, titled “It Takes a Family to Break a Glass Ceiling.” Howly brings an important historical perspective to the issue of Hillary being a politician’s wife–the best I’ve read on this aspect yet.
And while we’re on it, some smart and timely gender – and – election commentary from a few of my favorite bloggers:
Gloria Feldt on Hillary: “You know Hillary is no longer seen as the inevitable front runner in Iowa when Maureen Dowd (almost, at least till she gets to her punch line) writes something positive about her.” Read more. Be sure to check out Gloria’s “memos to Hillary” over at HuffPo.
Carol Lloyd at Broadsheet: “Obama and his mama.” Read more.
And of course, Virginia Rutter here at Girl with Pen: “Mind you, seeing Barack Obama win is great for the election, because it keeps the pressure on all around. But there is something else going on, and commentators keep acting like concerns about gender are baloney.” Read more. (Thank you to all who are linking to Virginia Rutter’s post and helping spread the word. And thank you to those who commented–Virginia will likely be weighing in soon, with her thoughts!)
For anyone near San Diego on February 29, do check out the Eighth Annual Women and the Law Conference and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lecture at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego (via Feminist Law Professors). The topic is, guess what, “Women in Politics: The Role of Gender in Political Decision Making.†I’d be more than happy to have someone who attends guest blog about it here. Any takers?
