Sexism and The Speaker
30 October 2009 12:58 pm by Taylor Marsh
It may not be all that you want, but no other person has done it. That it was accomplished by the first female Speaker of the House is no small milestone. It’s not easy for women in politics, especially when your job requires toughness.
But if the speaker is tough, it is also a tough world — especially for a woman.
Baltimore-bred, she has an ear for racing metaphors, and there are days when she might be Winning Colors or Genuine Risk, two famous fillies who won the Derby only to be bumped badly or forced outside in the stretch by the boys in the Preakness.
Her poll numbers among men are devastating. Women tip slightly against her, 36 percent to 31 percent, in a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Among men, the ratio is far worse: 2 to 1 against Pelosi. Among older men, it’s 56 percent to 22 percent. …
But not even women fully support Nancy Pelosi. So, you can’t write the disapproval off to pure sexism. Congress has a very low approval rating, which the health care bill may not make any better, especially if the parts of it that impact families and kids aren’t implemented before 2010, as well as whether it’s actually health care “reform” that matters.
All you have to do is read today’s Washington Post ethics story to understand what Pelosi’s up against. That the information was accidentally put on a file sharing network is stunning given its contents.
Add in the Republicans’ aversion to strong women with power and the brains to match, who also happens to beating them at every turn, and out comes the age old gripes. As they’ve launched every campaign against Pelosi they can based on traditional sexist language (see “Pussy Galore” and the RNC’s keep Pelosi in her place campaign), so you still have a powerful combination against the first female Speaker of the House, who also happens to be the first person who got health care through that chamber without the Democratic president lifting a finger.
For women in leadership roles it’s a tough, complicated road to success.
