TO CLAIM THAT THE POLITICAL OPPURTUNITY OF WOMEN IS STILL GROWING IS INSULTING TO WOMEN
Kennedy has Long Since Called for Equality for Females
In 1961, the Kennedy Administration advanced the premise that women should have the same rights in the workplace as men. In 1992, this nation proposed that politically it was the year of the woman, after numerous women were elected as Senators. 12 years after that proposition, we as a people, we as a nation are still supposing that political, social, career freedom is merely opening up; the oppressive lid has already been removed. Continual sentiments that indicate that the female cause is on the rise is insulting to women themselves. In 1961 Kennedy's administration unveiled and called for elimination of discrimination of women in the workplace. To claim that after forty five years, women have not yet gained a substantial footing in business, government, and society is extremely offensive.
A Glimpse at the Life of Margaret Thatcher:
Consider that Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister of England in 1979; meaning over 25 years ago, a woman led England. Look at Margaret Thatcher's life to see how, still saying, "American women are still growing" is insulting. In 1946 Margaret Thatcher was President of the conservative association of Oxford. In 1953 Margaret Thatcher was allowed to practice law. She was on the House of Commons in 1959. To claim that American women are just now catching up is tremendously insulting to American women. Note that the feminist movement in the United States and England occurred almost simultaneously, because Feminism gained gusto and vigor once females had operated manufacturing plants while men were off fighting World War II. Because all European nations experienced World War II at the same time, notions of feminism and the need to extend more social rights to women occurred at the same time. One cannot suppose that England had a wave of feminism earlier than the feminism of the United States. Yet, Margaret Thatcher did become prime minister in 1979, and she did of course lead the nation for 11 years. To claim that rights of American women are just now opening up is erroneous. If women in the United States are not obtaining positions, as CEO, Senator or Governor, it is not because of an impetus to prevent women from holding such positions, but rather it is the American woman's lack of desire to obtain these positions.
A female CEO's dilemma:
Once female's obtain the position of CEO in large Fortune 500 companies, they often look about to find women to encourage to take a more powerful position, only to be met by the disappointment that many of the women around her do not want to step up into the higher positions.
The Studious Consideration:
As women obtain educations toward what positions they desire, we see that women, though approximately 60% of the college population, enroll into law and political science type degrees at only 50% of the population, meaning, less women desire politically oriented careers than the average female desire. Where as psychology major enrollment is nearly 80% female. By and large, female's desire more intimately related majors in which they can work one on one with others, such as by obtaining a psychology degree, than they do with work with social concepts which is what they would deal with in political science. Female's as a percentage perspective statistically obtain more education in eduction, health professions, psychology, communications, visual and performing arts, biology, and English, than men do. Furthermore, percentage of females, among all females, interested in social sciences and history, remained approximately the same for the past 20 years. Though, more females are encouraged to enter into academia, and though more females attain college educations, those females are not choicing to take more politically oriented academic paths. Males are not to blame for a lack of desire on the part of females to gain politically oritented degrees. When we open the door to the collegiate library, the american female is more likely to open a psychology book, rather than a law book, more likely to open an english book instead of a political science book.
Combining the Margaret Thatcher approach with the Studious Perspective:
Margaret Thatcher on the other hand was raised by a politically involved FATHER, who she modeled her life after. She was academically competitive, worked to become President of the Conservative Association, ran for the House of Commons. Margaret Thatcher's intensity and passion to be politically successful is what allowed her to obtain the position of Prime Minister because the oppurtunity was obviously already there.
American Women When Given the Choice Choose Non-political Careers:
When we give females educational paths, they are not choosing political educational paths. When allowed to rise up into the upper echelon positions of corporate America by fellow female executives, they often decline. The connection being that upper-echelon business careers translate well into political careers. The door which leads onward to feminist advancement has been swung entirely open; women are choosing their paths. It appears that women simply desire the pleasures of education, health professions, and psychology, more than the ardor, arguments and debates of politics. Ironically, when given the choice women still choose fields in which they can work closely with others, such as in Education, Psychology, and Health Services. And, even though more women attend college, more males choose undergraduate degrees of societal leadership, such as Business and Political Science. Indeed, more women are seeking law degrees than women, yet it seems, these women are seeking law degrees to become lawyers, where as more men are seeking law degrees to move on toward politics.
Summary:
What Margaret Thatcher proved is that a society, an entire nation will accept a female as a leader. Judging by their educational pursuits and their actual political active, American women are simply not choosing as frequently to become politically active.