Women and Politics in the US - Essay Example

Women and Politics in the U.S In the recent times, Women have become quiet popular and powerful in the political front. There were several instances that reassure the position of women as a great political leader. Women all throughout the world have established a strong hold and have come out with a great number of actions that proves their worth in the global front. America is one region which has always been encouraging about the political stance of the Women in politics in the recent times. Political participation of women has increased to a greater level which is very much evident from the positions that women of today hold. There have been totally 39 women in the United States Senate since the establishment of the body in the year 1789. Women’s political journey in America began with the first starting in the year 1922. There have been some struggle in brining women to the political front but now things are completely different from what it was. Today 17 of the 100 senators are women which stand evidence to the growing equality for women in the political front. It is the need of the hour has women have proved to be successful and have a great hold in the political front. The article “The Domestication of Politics: Women and American Political Society” by Paula Baker brings out the true essence as to women sexuality, motherhood and also their mission. Women had limited social contact and most of their times were spent of taking care of the household needs alone. There was a psychological belief that feminine and timid qualities are attributed to that of corruption rather than anything else. Women had identification only at home, family and then came community and it took them really a long while to come out of it and plunge into politics. As motherly characters, women had the civilized thought and wanted to do good for the public which is one of the contributing factors. Mothers lacked interest in personal gain in general which is a political advantage for women. It is proved that women have a better sense of mission and responsibility which is essential for a political career. It becomes importance to evaluate the stand of women in politics as it is the need of the hour and the gender difference which was in existence and is fading now is a thing to be taken seriously. Un-tapping of the skills and achievement of the women in politics is absolutely important as it gives a great boost to the entire political system of America that has fixed its political path in the same level so far. Women have come to be famous in all sphere of life including business and social affairs and it is high time for them to plunge in the political arena too in order to make things better for the nation as a whole.1 Women would exercise all of their loyalties over the party that gave them the position they were yearning for such a long time. Articles claim that women have gained a substantial position in politics of US. This may be true to some extent but the real issue is that they have become better but have not attained the complete equality status as claimed. African Americans who were initially not successful on the political front have come out to be on the political front now. As far as the political frontage for black people is concerned, it seemed quiet blurry in the past but now things have changed to a great extent with the whole of the region accepting it. Though the black men have gained significance, what remains to be known is the position of black women in politics. There have been several cases in the recent times, the involvement shown by the American black women in the political space. Number of voters has also considerably increased in the past few years which are a thing to be encouraged. It is to be noted that the participation and the frontage given to the black women is not as great as it is given to that of the black men. Some articles claim that the black men represent a major portion of the Congress and there are also instances were they encourage the non-Hispanic white women for the black women. This seems to be a real issue considering the evaluation and analysis that is made in this regard. Data in this area clearly shows the contention. Though the black men have more seats in the Congress from the beginning, this trend seems to be undergoing a change. There is more and more number of black women coming into the Congress which will make sure that there is equal number of black women population in the Congress of America. Black women are known to be a greater supporter of the party in comparison to the Black men which is right. This can be mainly because of the reason that the black women are seeking the attention of the nation as a whole now than ever. Yet another reason attributed mainly to the success of men in politics is the kind of confidence they are able to exhibit when it comes to background and education. Though men are more open about their qualification, background and age which would help them in their political career, women are more protective about their status and background. Even this trend is changing to a greater level with more and more number of women coming forth with their experience, footage and background that gains them the political momentum in the American space. One of the other major reasons attributed is the fact that women are more moderate. The authors have brought in the aspects with regard to the psychological feeling and the inhibitions that are generally associated with women. They contend that women are more modest when compared to that of the men who are more self apprising in nature. It becomes absolutely important in the political arena to be more open about ones’ qualification and credentials 2. There have been proclamation that the psychological aspects of women will reflect greatly in their professional as well as personal life which does not seem to be acceptable. Women of today have got more maturity in dealing with work and it is a well known fact that women are a better at multi-tasking when compared to their male counterparts. Studies show clearly that women were able to establish their position in a more concrete manner than that of men who are often fluctuating about their needs and requirements. Long standing stigma of women in politics have proved to be the deterrent factor for women to enter the politics in a more confident way but things have gone for a drastic change in the recent times as women gain a great amount of reverence and establish a greater level of confidence in all of their dealings which is a thing to be appreciated. When it comes to campaigning activities as well, there is a general belief that women are deterred and influenced by the other members. This is not a reliable contention as women have proved to be more self sufficient and are known to manage pressure in a more positive way. Also, there is a perception with regard to the electoral competition with regard to women as they are thought to be thinking that the competition is rife and that the local elections are a tough competition. This is mainly because of the reason that the political career at this point of time is not a cake walk for them. They have fight out their way into politics for which they have to put in a lot of effort. First, women need to get into the party then they need to convince their stand in within the party by being active and then only they are able to gain an electoral seat. For women the competition seems to be very tough as they need to struggle within and outside the party to prove their political efficacy. Thus, it becomes clear that women’s position is much better in the political front from what it was in the beginning but still there is a long way to go. There are still some gender gaps that affect the political frontage of the women to a great extent. Some perceptions like that of the psychological effects are true which could be carried forward with some great effort on every front. To bring out and to prove the misconception wrong, one needs to get into the area of misconceptions. The United States of America has taken a cue from the global scenario were women politicians are more powerful than the male and have known to be the reservoir of strength and energy. Reference: Caroll, Susan. Women as candidates in American politics. Library of Congress Cataloging, 1994, 20-38 Gelb, J. Women and Politics around the World. Library of Congress Cataloging, 2009, 30-45 Read More