Women and/in Politics

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In chapter 2, Burn talks briefly about women’s lack of political power globally. She points out that women comprise an incredibly low percentage of presidents, prime ministers, and lawmakers in parliaments and congresses around the world. One of the problems with this, she contends, is that the majority of lawmakers (who are male) are “not inclined to think about rape, domestic violence, women’s health issues, and childcare” (19)—and a whole host of other issues that affect women specifically and explicitly just because they are women.

Another problem with women’s lack of political power globally is that, “in many places, women have fewer legal rights than men and even when laws are in place, male-dominated police and justice systems do not enforce them” (Burn 2010, 19). This is often the case, for example, in attempts to prosecute rape when defense lawyers, police officers, and judges try (often successfully) to “blame the victim,” arguing that she “asked for it” by wearing a “provocative” outfit or behaving “inappropriately.”

So, in this next part of our course, called “Controlling Women’s Bodies and Behaviours,” we’re going to start with reading and talking about FORMAL POLITICS as a PATRIARCHAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE that, for the most part, prohibits women’s direct participation in making the laws under which they must live, work, and raise their families.

But, as Burn mentions in chapter 2 and then makes quite clear in chapter 9, although women do lack FORMAL political power, they are actually very active politically, but in INFORMAL ways. We’ll talk about these, too. And, of course, this is the focus of your Term Project, so you’ll be doing lots of research and reading on your own about women’s attempts to make all kinds of changes in their own lives and the lives of others. In class on Tuesday, we're going to be exploring the International Museum of Women's global online exhibition, Women, Power and Politics, so take a few minutes to check it out.

In addition to reading chapter 9 in Burn for Tuesday, also be sure to check out Seager, pp. 94-99. I forgot to add these pages to your assigned reading, but they are important:

• When you’re reading Burn’s section on women’s voting, open up to Seager, pp. 94-95 and take a look at when women were granted the right to vote, and where. And keep in mind that women’s suffrage was often limited to particular groups of women, which (still) meant that most women couldn’t/can’t vote.

• When you’re reading Burn’s section on women representatives in congresses, parliaments and cabinets, take a look at Seager, pp. 96-97. Where do women have the highest representation in national politics? Where do they have the lowest? Why do you think women’s political participation actually dropped in some countries since 1990?

• When you’re reading Burn’s section on women heads of state, have a look at Seager, pp. 98-99. Notice how few women heads of state there have been, and where. Also, check out the percentage of women who participate in national parliaments globally. What’s going on, do you think?

Lastly, as you're reading Burn's section on women in informal politics in preparation for Tuesday's class, think a bit about your Term Project: What sorts of issues do women tend to care about? Why? What sorts of problems are you concerned about? Is there a feminist/social justice organization that's working to solve them?

Now that we've had the Library Workshop, I'm going to be asking you starting on Tuesday to let me know which organization you're going to be researching for your Term Project, so if you have any questions and/or would like to come chat with me about your ideas, please don't hesitate to come on by during my office hours.

Happy reading, and I'll see you in class on Tuesday.