Page 188 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

162 gender microaggressions and sexism

What worries me is that male Iowa voters were seen as gender - free when
supporting their own, while female voters were seen as biased if they did and
disloyal if they didn ’ t.
What worries me is that reporters ignore Mr. Obama ’ s dependence on the old —
for instance, the frequent campaign comparisons to John F. Kennedy — while not
challenging the slander that her progressive policies are part of the Washington
status quo.
What worries me is that some women, perhaps especially younger ones, hope to
deny or escape the sexual caste system; thus Iowa women over 50 and 60, who
disproportionately supported Senator Clinton, proved once again that women
are the one group that grows more radical with age.
This country can no longer afford to choose our leaders from a talent pool limited
by sex, race, money, powerful fathers, and paper degrees. It ’ s time to take equal
pride in breaking all the barriers. We have to be able to say: “ I ’ m supporting her

because she ’ ll be a great president and because she ’ s a woman. ”
The opinion editorial by Steinem (2008) generated heated discussion among
many in the news media, and from the public at large. Despite disclaiming
an attempt to “ play the gender card ” or the “ who ’ s more oppressed ” game
(women or Blacks) in her editorial, Steinem ’ s comments did precisely what
she did not want them to do. She provoked reactions that deviated from the
points she was trying to make to questions that were debated in the press
and among certain parties: Is sexism stronger than racism in our society? Do
women suffer more than Blacks due to prejudice and discrimination? Is it
more acceptable to be overtly sexist than overtly racist? These questions
are important ones, but they (1) detract from the issues of prejudice and
discrimination directed toward women, (2) act as a “ divide and conquer ”
wedge between women and people of color, and (3) prevent an enlightened
dialogue about sexism and its detrimental impact on women. As a result, let
us try to look carefully and objectively at the points being made by Steinem
regarding sexism.
First, the title of Steinem ’ s editorial is a strong statement that women in the
United States are never front - runners for leadership positions, whether they are

vying for political offices, boardrooms, or at the executive levels in our places
of employment. This is in marked contrast to many countries where women
play a pronounced role in the highest echelons of government. For every Nancy

Pelosi (2007: first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) in lead-
ership positions, she represents a statistical rarity when compared against men.

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