http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/06/hail_to_the_housewife.html
The role of women in politics has been a growing one ever since the acceptance of women into the political process since the ratification of the nineteenth amendment in the early twentieth century. Religion has recently started to play an important and highly publicized role in the political process because of female candidates of the past two elections alignment with the GOP and the prevalence of religion among some of their supporters.
Both during the 2008 election and so far on the road to the 2012 election, the role of the woman in an evangelist Christian home has been a widely publicized point of discussion between Bachmann and Palin critics alike. Their critics are both women who are against the submissive role politicians like Bachmann and Palin are expected to fill according to strict Christians, and members of branches of highly traditional/conservative Christianity who think that women would be abandoning their posts as women if they were to run for public office.
The article writes that, "Reverend Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said that while he liked Palin's political views, he worried about the effect of her candidacy on her domestic priorities." Ideas like these are likely to face Bachmann again if she ever shies away from her already established claim that she would remain a submissive wife in the White House, though she believes that she and her husband respect each other, so it won't be a problem. However, feminists and women supporters of an egalitarian approach to religion will not be won over with that kind of talk. While Bachmann may be gaining favor with prominent men and other submissive women like herself, she will continue receiving opposition from women who believe the opposite on the role of women in the family.
This dichotomy is sure to divide a majority of women, whether it be in support of Bachmann's respect for family and duty on the home front, or challenge against Bachmann's passive attitude while she runs for arguably the highest position of power in our country. The problem that comes with evangelists supporting Bachmann's quest to be a powerful woman, yet still second in command in her own home originates from the idea that, "If his fellow Christians supported a woman in a position of civic leadership, they should logically support the notion of women exercising leadership in church and at home—but most of them don't."
Christian voters will have to decide whether they are willing to abandon the strict interpretation of the Bible which asserts that women be quiet and remain subservient to their husband, or if they will seek a new interpretation that allows women to compete with men in positions of power without abandoning their families or duties as women.
More generally, I question how far feminists would be willing to go to in order to elect a female president. It was clear that in 2008, some disappointed Hillary Clinton supporters vowed to vote for McCain in an attempt to retaliate against the Dems nomination of Obama. Would Feminists be willing to elect a female president candidate such as Bachmann despite her more traditional view on gender roles? –Madison Friedman
ReplyDeleteThis is is very interesting conflict that you bring up between Christian beliefs and Feminist perspectives. This is a very tough issue for Christians with feminist perspectives to deal with. For any woman running for Presidency, it is a given that women and feminists are a main target group for them. However, Bachmann's case is really interesting because she is a religious Christian and therefore, her stances on the role of women disagree with that of feminists. This is something that will be very tough for Bachmann to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI liked the article you picked particularly for the ending where the author explains, "some conservative evangelicals argue that women's deference is itself empowering, because it's what God intends, and because it is the fullest expression of womanhood." It describes the paradoxical nature of female leadership in the Evangelical tradition so well, and I think it puts Bachmann's view on the submissive female role much more articulately than has herself. Bachmann's idea of exercising power as a woman is to freely choose the role of wife and mother. As the author concludes, this could be a dangerous thought process for someone who is running for the highest office, where that role of responsibility should be foremost over all other identifiers of the candidate in question.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great and interesting piece. One line that I was particularly interested in was: "However, feminists and women supporters of an egalitarian approach to religion will not be won over with that kind of talk. " Do you think that feminists and women supporters of an egalitarian approach to religion would support Bachmann regardless of her questionable views about the relationship between a husband and a wife? I don't think that Bachmann needs to focus on showing egalitarianism; I think her greater and most important problem will be on showing that she can be a strong woman, mother, and politician all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteAll the points you bring up are fascinating. One thing that I find is interesting, sort of attached to Laura's question above, is do you think that Bachmann appeals o the female bloc (if that bloc exists at all)? As you allude to in your piece, religion is in some ways inherently sexist. I feel as if women who support female rights would be opposed to Bachmann as a candidate although they share gender identification.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I think that women who are already supporters of her political agenda will not shy away from her because of her belief in her role as a woman, even if they are empowered or feminist religious women. I just don't think that she'll be able to sway the potentially powerful female voting bloc, because although there isn't one now, I could see one forming behind the right kind of role model.
ReplyDeleteNicolas, part of that was a response to your question, and I also think that a female politician who steps up to lead supporters of women's rights will be one who, like Laura said, can show that she is strong, but she is still a woman, not that she is trying to be like men, and not that she is anything but what she is, in her home, in the political sphere and all around. It will take the perfect conditions to mobilize women in support of a female candidate simply on the basis of being female, and that might not ever happen, but hopefully it will.
The conflict inherent in Bachmann’s religious observance and her self-assumed gender roles is quite interesting. If anything, her candidacy for the republican nomination has been a learning tool for the republican party with regards to experimenting with the correct confluence of factors that could lead to a successful presidential bid by a female republican nominee. – Madison Friedman
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