Op-Ed Where should all the women go on Nov. 7?

Author: Jessica Singleton

As a self-proclaimed "old-fashioned" woman, Kansas State Senator Kay O'Connor argued that if men would just take care of women today, we women wouldn't have to vote. If Mrs. O'Connor really believes her farcical surrender of the nineteenth amendment, she better start registering every woman in Kansas to vote, since whoever's down there in Washington isn't getting the job done for women.

Mrs. O'Connor, a wife and homemaker, may not believe that her voice in society means as much as her husband's; after all she's just staying at home with the kids - wink, wink. But is it possible that when raising six children, she found it difficult to cover prenatal, infant and pediatric medical bills on her husband's income alone? And now that she is a grandmother of 13, would she want her grandchildren, girls and boys, to have equal access to education, jobs and wages? These issues and others aren't getting the attention they deserve because historically homogenous gender-politics of Washington have allowed a white-male majority to dictate the legislative agenda. The truth is that women like Mrs. O'Connor exist in every state, with opinions equally important as their husbands, as they contribute to society in arguably the most meaningful way possible. But this old-fashioned attitude of complacent apathy has allowed the neoconservatives to rise to the top and lead threats not only to women's interests, but to women's rights.

Thank goodness women have started to take these threats seriously. On Nov. 7, women are poised to make the biggest gains for their gender in Washington in years. eight states will have the opportunity to send a progressive woman to the U.S. Senate; 93 districts will decide whether or not to let a progressive woman represent them when Congress reopens in January. But these women can't do it alone, and this time around we need more women than ever.

And we need women in leadership roles more than ever. We need to secure reproductive health rights for all women. We need economic equality, equal access to education, livable wage laws, healthcare and welfare funding. We need to build an America that works for working families. We need government to perform at its best and women to be a part of it.

Washington Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell is up for reelection, continuing the fight for quality after school programs. Connecticut's Diane Farrell faces a close election against Republican incumbent Chris Shays. If elected, Farrell will bring to Congress her real life experiences as President of PTA, Girl Scott Troop Leader and President of the local League of Women Voters - experiences closer to home for regular families across the country than Congress' current membership. From these experiences, Farrell has realized the importance of affordable and reliable childcare. She also plans to introduce legislation that would allow women and minority small business owners to have better access to startup capital. It says something about our sociological reality that in more than half a dozen states, political analysts consider the "mom vote" to be the tipping point on E-day.

Women provide a unique feminine perspective and qualities that improve government and bring people more fulfilling lives. Women are generally more prone to compromise - with partisan bickering at an all-time high, compromise is a virtue we should value more than ever. Vermont is among the five states that have never sent a woman to Congress. Society, women and government lose in this situation. So Mrs. O'Connor, as you seek election to become Kansas' next Secretary of State, I beg you to update your old-fashioned values. Use your vote as your voice to let all the women know "when women vote, women win."

JESSICA SINGLETON '08.5
A FELLOW FROM THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTION'S CENTER ON WOMEN AND GENDER