Los Angeles Times
By Michael Hiltzik Few institutions revel in the reputation of being a dinosaur like Augusta National Golf Club, host of the Masters Tournament. Augusta has never admitted a woman to membership, and has even tried to portray its adamant stance as a . Read more
ESPN
For a decade, Augusta National Golf Club could ignore the protests of women outside the gates and the quiet urging of sponsors to move into the modern era. But now, the most potent threat to its antiquated hierarchy has come from within.
The good ol’ boy network could succeed in this age of political correctness, liberal media and qualified women only if everyone colluded, er, cooperated.
But IBM, the technology corporation and longtime Masters sponsor, broke from a tradition like no other and hired a woman, Ginni Rometty, to head its company. Now, Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters each year, is in a pickle. Read more
Politico
The financial model that fueled Rush Limbaugh’s radio show seems to have disintegrated in recent weeks, with at least 100 advertisers reportedly abandoning his radio program.
For more than two decades, “The Rush Limbaugh Show” has promoted his brand of misogyny, racism and general intolerance to an audience of more than 15 million people on as many as 600 radio stations. He has accused actor Michael J. Fox of “exaggerating the effects” of Parkinson’s disease; called the National Organization for Women “nags” who “are a bunch of whores to liberalism”; and just last week referred to a Washington Post reporter as a synonym for a female dog. Read more
Excerpted from Nomiki Konst: The Decline of Women in America?
It is time for our generation to take action. To build on the success of our mothers and grandmothers, and acknowledge that we have our own war to fight. And there is so much to do.
So what can you do to get involved today? There are many organizations working hard to ensure we achieve equal representation in government. Running Start, WUFPAC, Off the Sidelines, National Women’s Political Caucus, The 2012 Project and Emily’s List, just to name a few. Do research. Get involved. Ask a woman to run. Run for office yourself. Talk to your friends about getting involved.
Nomiki Konst is a Congressional Candidate for Arizona’s 2nd District for the fall of 2012. She’s the founder and former President of Alliance Hollywood, an organization dedicated to training members of the entertainment industry on how to speak civilly about politics. She’s an advocate for civil discourse, Millennial politics and equal representation.
People, Families, and Income
The Women in America report describes various demographic characteristics and trends in women’s marriage, living arrangements, childbearing, and poverty. The Census Bureau is the primary source of the data (census.gov).
As the report indicates in regard to people, families and income:
An overview of this section is available in the Women in America fact sheet (pdf).
Source: Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Management and Budget
Reuters
South Carolina is the only state in US that has no women in its state Senate. “We have a culture that has historically put women in a second position,” said Barbara Rackes, spokeswoman for the Southeastern Institute of Women in Politics. Read More
Times of India January 15,
A new study conducted by American University School of Public Affairs associate professor of government and director of the Women and Politics Institute Jennifer L. Lawless and associate professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University Richard L. Fox surveyed nearly 4,000 lawyers, business leaders, educators, and political activists, all of whom are well-situated to run for office.
One of the reasons behind the gender gap is that women are substantially more likely than men to perceive the electoral environment as highly competitive and biased against female candidates.
The second reason is that Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin’s candidacies aggravated women’s perceptions of gender bias in the electoral arena.
Another factor is that women are much less likely than men to think they are qualified to run for office.
The fact that female potential candidates are less competitive, less confident, and more risk averse than their male counterparts is another factor, which contributes to this gap.
According to the report by Lawless, a 2006 candidate for Congress seeking the Democratic nomination in Rhode Island’s second district, and Fox, an important reason behind the lack of interest in females is that women react more negatively than men to many aspects of modern campaigns.
Other important factors include that women are less likely than men to receive the suggestion to run for office – from anyone and the fact that women are still responsible for the majority of childcare and household tasks.
Karen McVeigh reports: guardian.co.uk
Following Michele Bachmann’s exit from the race, the GOP nomination will be fought between six wealthy, white men in suits. Why aren’t there more women in the Republican party? Read More
Wall Street Journal Thu, May 19
But like a lot of folks, I still had some cynicism about politics. And I was worried about the toll that a presidential campaign would take on our family.Read More
AP Thursday, May 19, 2011
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Rick Perry has signed into law a requirement that doctors conduct a sonogram before performing an abortion.
The hotly debated legislation passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate despite vocal protests against it.
The law requires the doctor to conduct a sonogram, provide the woman a chance to see the image and hear the fetal heartbeat. The doctor is required to explain to the woman what he sees, including the presence of internal organs or limbs. The only exception is for victims or rape and incest or in cases where the fetus has fatal deformities.
Proponents say it will ensure women are fully informed to make a decision. Opponents say it is intended to prevent women from getting an abortion.
The law is among the strongest in the nation.
follow: RSS