Women and Politics: A Quest for Political Equality in an Age of Economic Inequality

279 Pages·2017·4.22 MB·English

by  Alvin B. Tillery, Barbara Burrell

Women and Politics

This textbook presents a much-needed exploration of the many ways that women in the
United States have used their voices in the political process.
Written in a concise and accessible style, Women and Politics equips students with the
necessary skills and knowledge to understand the political involvement of women as indi-
viduals and their efforts to achieve political and economic equity as a group. This textbook
is both historical, examining trends, and contemporary, focusing on participation and the
public policy concerns of women in the early decades of the 21st century.
Key content and features:
(cid:129) Exploration of diverse actions women have taken to achieve empowerment and
gender equity
(cid:129) Surveys women as voters, as candidates for elected offi ce, and as interest group
organizers lobbying for equity in public policy and for global women’s rights
(cid:129) Chronicles protest actions against unequal practices of economic and governmental
elites
(cid:129) Highlights the actions of women with few economic resources that join together to
challenge local power structures.
Readers will appreciate Burrell’s valuable insights on the multiple political voices of Ameri-
can women and the challenges of economic inequality in their quest for political equality.
Barbara Burrell is Professor Emerita of Political Science at Northern Illinois University. She
has taught women and politics classes at both the undergraduate and the graduate level.
Burrell has researched and written extensively on women engaging in politics in the United
States, including studies on women as candidates for public offi ce and public opinion and
the fi rst ladyship. The Midwest Political Science Association’s Women’s Caucus awarded
Professor Burrell a lifetime career achievement award in 2012.
Routledge Series on Identity Politics
Series Editor : Alvin B. Tillery Jr., R utgers University
Group identities have been an important part of political life in America since the founding
of the republic. For most of this long history, the central challenge for activists, politicians,
and scholars concerned with the quality of U.S. democracy was the struggle to bring the
treatment of ethnic and racial minorities and women in line with the creedal values spelled
out in the nation’s charters of freedom. In the midst of many positive changes, however,
glaring inequalities between groups persist. Indeed, ethnic and racial minorities remain far
more likely to be undereducated, unemployed, and incarcerated than their counterparts
who identify as White. Similarly, both violence and workplace discrimination against
women remain rampant in U.S. society. The Routledge series on identity politics features
works that seek to understand the tension between the great strides our society has made
in promoting equality between groups and the residual effects of the ascriptive hierarchies
in which the old order was rooted.
American Exceptionalism and the Remains of Race
Edmund Fong
The Political Uses of Motherhood in America
Cynthia Stavrianos
Sexploitation
Sexual Profi ling and the Illusion of Gender
Michèle Alexandre
Negotiating Identities
Politics and Religion in the United States
David S. Gutterman and Andrew R. Murphy
Distinct Identities
Minority Women in U.S. Politics
Edited by Nadia Brown and Sarah Allen Gershon
American Political Thought
An Alternative View
Edited by Alex Zamalin and Jonathan Keller
Women and Politics
A Quest for Political Equality in an Age of Economic Inequality
Barbara Burrell
Women and Politics
A Quest for Political Equality in
an Age of Economic Inequality
Barbara Burrell
First published 2018
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
The right of Barbara Burrell to be identifi ed as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
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from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Burrell, Barbara C., 1947– author.
Title: Women and politics : a quest for political equality in an age of
economic inequality / Barbara Burrell.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. | Series: Routledge series on
identity politics | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2017021114 | ISBN 9781138856547 (hardback : alk.
paper) | ISBN 9781138856554 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Women—Political activity—United States. | Women
political candidates—United States. | Feminism—United States. | Women’s
rights—United States.
Classifi cation: LCC HQ1236.5.U6 B8753 2018 | DDC 320.082/0973—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017021114
ISBN: 978-1-138-85654-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-85655-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-71953-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
List of Boxes and Sidebars vi
List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
List of Pictures x
1 Introduction 1
2 The First and Second Women’s Rights Movements 15
3 Women’s Political Voice and Economic Inequality 36
4 Gender, Voting, Electioneering, and Public Opinion 69
5 Political Parties: Bringing Women into the Electoral Arena 96
6 “Doing Politics”: Women’s Empowerment and Community
Activism 113
7 Women’s NGOs: Advocating for Global Women’s Rights 132
8 Women’s Candidacies for Elected Offi ce 155
9 The 2016 Presidential Election and the First Woman President? 196
10 Public Policy on Women’s Rights and Equity Issues 217
11 Women’s Political Participation in a Comparative Perspective 246
Index 266
Boxes and Sidebars
Text Boxes
1.1 Women’s eNews 5
2.1 Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments 17
3.1 Women-Owned Businesses 47
4.1 Black Girls Vote 73
4.2 Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America 91
6.1 “How a Local New Jersey Latina Became Mayor, a Rising
Political Star” 120
7.1 Organizations and Their Mission Statements 133
7.2 List of Formal Programs 142
7.3 Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2016 151
8.1 Letter to the New York Times : African American Women
in Defense of Ourselves 157
8.2 U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik Being Sworn into Congress 162
8.3 Nancy Jo Kemper Announces for Congress 171
8.4 Higher Heights for America 175
8.5 Elect Her! These Campus Women Won: Hear Their Voices 187
10.1 Political Parity Answers the Why Women Question 220
11.1 IDEA Quota Project Pros and Cons 254
11.2 Why We Need the Equal Rights Amendment 258
Sidebars
1.1 The Equal Rights Amendment 2
2.1 The 19th Amendment 20
3.1 Women Chief Executive Offi cers 48
6.1 Women as Volunteers 117
6.2 Mother Jones: “Convictions and a Voice” 122
6.3 Say Her Name 129
10.1 Representative Barbara Lee: “You Can’t Rest” 222
10.2 Abortion Statistics 235
11.1 Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Equal Rights Amendment 259
11.2 Women in the Military 260
Figures
1.1 Trends in General Public Support for a Woman President 7
3.1 Trends in Income Inequality 37
3.2 College Graduate or More, Persons Twenty-Five Years of Age
or Older by Racial/Ethnic Groups and Sex, 2014 40
3.3 Male and Female Labor Force Participation Rates, 1948–2015 41
3.4 Female-to-Male Earnings Ratio and Median Earnings of Full-Time,
Year-Round Workers Fifteen Years and Older by Sex, 1960–2015 43
3.5 Median Annual Earnings by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex, 2015 45
3.6 Median Annual Earnings and the Gender Earnings Ratio for Women
and Men by Education, 2013 46
3.7 Unmarried Births by Race and Ethnicity, 1959–2015 51
4.1 Gender Gap in Votes for the Democratic Presidential Candidate,
1980–2016 70
4.2 Voter Participation Rates, Presidential Elections by Sex, 1964–2012 71
4.3a–c Party Identifi cation by Sex, 1952–2012, American National
Election Studies 75
4.4 Women and Political Ideology, 1972–2012, American National
Election Studies 76
4.5a–e Trends in Participation in Campaign Activities by Sex, 1952–2012,
American National Election Studies 79
4.6 Women Donors as a Percent of Campaign Contributors 81
4.7 Amount of Money in Contributions of $200 or More
in Federal Campaigns 81
4.8 Partisan Gender Gap in Democratic Campaign Contributions
of $200 or More 82
4.9 How Each Party’s Female Donor Base Has Evolved 82
4.10 Should Government Reduce Income Differences? 87
4.11 Women’s Support for Obtaining a Legal Abortion for Any Reason 88
4.12 Homosexual Couples Should Have the Right to Marry One Another 89
4.13 What Do You Think Is More Important—to Protect the Right
of Americans to Own Guns, OR to Gun Control Ownership? 90
4.14 Would You Favor or Oppose a Law That Would Require a Person
to Obtain a Police Permit before He or She Could Buy a Gun? 91
7.1 Partnerships and Networks 148
8.1 Percent of Members of Congress Who Have Been Women since 1789 156
8.2 Number of Women Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives,
1966–2016 160
8.3 Number of Women Elected/Appointed to the U.S. Senate, 1967–2015 160
viii Figures
8.4 Black Women in Congress, 1970–2015 164
8.5 Number of Women Elected to State Legislatures by Party,
1981–2015 165
8.6 Women as a Percentage of State Legislators, 1969–2015 165
8.7 Number and Type of Female Candidacies for the U.S. House
of Representatives, 1993–2016 179
8.8 Men Better Suited Emotionally for Politics 181
8.9 Mean Receipts, General Election Candidates by Sex, U.S.
House of Representatives, 1994–2014 183
8.10 EMILY’s List Receipts, 1986–2016 184
9.1 2016 Favorable Ratings of Clinton and Trump 205
9.2 Word Frequency of Clinton’s Speeches 212
Tables
3.1 Weekly Earnings, All Full-Time Workers, by Race and Ethnicity, 2015 45
4.1 Sex and Voter Turnout by Demographic Groups, 2000–2012
Presidential Elections 72
4.2 Trends in Men’s and Women’s Sense of Political Effi cacy 78
5.1 Important Dates in the History of Parties, Women’s Organizations,
and Women’s Candidacies for Public Offi ce 97
7.1 Nongovernmental Organization Characteristics 136
7.2 Policy Domains of Nongovernmental Organizations 140
7.3 Political Practices 145
7.4 Actions and Policy Domains 147
9.1 The 2016 Exit Poll: The Demographics of the Presidential Election 210
10.1a–b Major Women’s Rights Legislation and Supreme Court Decisions 227