Women In Politics Magazine: International Women's Day by Women In Politics

Ma rc h2 02 2

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Isabella Rinaldi

International Women’s Month. The month of March that we dedicate to annually celebrate and acknowledge women’s extraordinary roles and achievements. From Abigail Adams

In 1978, the school district of Sonoma, California, established a weeklong

to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner

celebration of women's contributions

Truth to Kamala Harris or AOC, the

to culture, history, and society, which

timeline of women’s milestones

became Women's History Month.

stretches back across centuries. As

Hundreds of schoolchildren

we reflect on the injustices, sexism,

participated in a "Real Woman" essay

sovereignty, discrimination, and struggles women endured throughout our history we take this month to reckon with the past, examine our present, and build our future.

contest that recognized women's achievements in culture, history, and society, and a procession was conducted in downtown Santa Rosa. By 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation declaring the first week of March as National Women’s History Week. The following year, the U.S. Congress established National Women’s Week as a national celebration. In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned for a month-long celebration, which the organization was successfully granted.

When I was in elementary school, International Women’s Month was never really spoken about. On the way to school, I saw a few posters, or billboards, but my parochial elementary school never said a word. It wasn’t until I was around 12 years old—when I entered

new

school

that

celebrated

women

and

educated

sexism

and

injustices- that I realized the stigma that surrounds this month and how crucial it is to build a more equal future. As an impressionable child, women's rights was a subject that was seldom spoken about, and as a young girl I was under the impression that there was nothing in our world that needed fixing in regards to gender inequality. The lack of conversation and education about gender inequality and sexism in our past blocked any form of progress or understanding I had, and hindered my ability to truly understand my rights as a woman and what was fair and unfair in this world. It was not until I grew older and educated myself on the women’s movement that I realized the lack of education and

acknowledgment

elementary

school

students

receive

International

Women’s

Month and the women’s movement as a whole, is a result of a stigmatized system and society

that

despite

our

improvements

blindly

contributing

the

long

endured

oppression of women.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Month is "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." As we reflect on the past two years amidst COVID-19, it is not a secret that many things have been reevaluated. Women played an essential role in combating this pandemic, and the recognition is shining light not only one what women are capable of, but what they have always been capable of, as long as we recognize it. I hope this issue acts as both a tribute to the endless and tireless work of women around the world not only during our aforementioned pandemic, but throughout our history to get us where we are today as well as a place to highlight current women in the political sphere, to the history of the women’s movement, to the crucial role women play or should play in different aspects of society today, and gender inequality across the globe. I always wish I was taught at a young age the line of women that came before me that fought

for

the

rights

have

today.

The

women’s

movement

set

stone

for

every

achievement individual women, and we as a society have made. Although we still have a long way to go, I believe that we have to reflect on our past to build our future.

TA BL E OF

Where it All Began: The Seneca Falls Convention and the Women Behind It

International Women's Day: Past and Present

Gender Equality in International States: Where Do We See Progress?

S T N E T CON

A Look into the Potential Supreme Court Nominees

Female Nudity in Media: The Expectation of Female Exposure

Put Your Money in the Stock Market: Why Women Need to Start Investing

Where it All Began:

The Seneca Falls Convention and the Women Behind It by: Mary Corey

Everything must start somewhere, and for American feminism, that place is the Seneca Falls convention. Thought of by many as the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, it was the first women’s rights convention in the United States. Held at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19 and 20, 1848, women’s rights activists shared ideas and thoughts for the first time at a convention just for them.

The biggest thing to come out of the convention was The Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances. Written by leader and activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it was modeled after the Declaration of Independence and named after the founding document of the American Anti-Slavery Society. In the declaration, Stanton referred to many of Thomas Jefferson’s ideas presented in the Declaration of Independence but explained that, in their current state, they were referring solely to men. She described how these discrepancies between genders pushed men and women into separate and unequal spheres of American society, putting women at the disadvantage from the time they are born. She ended the declaration with a call to action, pushing lawmakers and the public to fight back against these inequalities.

The version of the Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances first presented by Stanton at the convention was very well received, with disagreement on only one resolution: the right to vote. Some people, including Stanton’s husband, argued that this right was not imperative to gender equality and could get in the way of the movement’s success. In the end, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and abolitionist, Fredrick Douglas, fought to include the

resolution and the declaration was ratified on July 20th, signed by 68 women and 32 men.

The two women behind the convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, were destined for political stardom from a very young age. Stanton, daughter of New York Supreme Court Justice Daniel Cady, began her fight for women’s rights, temperance, and abolition at age 17 after graduating from Emma Willard’s Troy Female Seminary. Mott was a progressive Quaker minister that quickly became well known, despite her young age, for her speeches against social injustice. The two women met years before the Seneca Falls Convention at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. There, they were forced to sit in the “women’s only” section where they were not allowed to sit down or speak for the entirety of the event. Inspired and outraged by this shared experience, the women’s friendship would grow throughout the years and they would go on to plan the Seneca Falls Convention and work in tandem for women’s suffrage.

First Convention for

Woman's Rigths was held on this corner

1848

The impact of the Seneca Falls Convention was felt throughout the county. First-wave feminism took off in America and many more women’s rights conventions began to be held throughout the country, with many focusing on women’s suffrage. Stanton and fellow feminist Susan B. Anthony would go on to form the National Women’s Sufferage Association, helping to draw national attention to women’s lack of voting rights. More than 70 years after Seneca Falls lit the spark for the women’s rights movement in the United States, Congress guaranteed women the right to vote with their passage of the 19th amendment.

Though influential, the Seneca Falls Convention and the early feminist movement did have

some

shortcomings

often

overlooked

modern

feminists

and

grade-school

curriculums. The only African American in attendance at the convention was Fredrick Douglas. In addition, the size of the Seneca Falls convention is often exaggerated. In truth,

was

foreshadows

only the

local

early

affair

women’s

organized rights

Stanton

movement’s

few

exclusion

days

before.

people

This

color.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony opposed the ratification of the 15th amendment, which would prohibit states from restricting voting on the basis of race because they didn’t want Black men voting for white women. Considering Seneca Falls to be the start of modern feminism erased many of the earlier roots planted by Black women’s rights activists since they couldn’t even attend the convention. Throughout the women’s suffrage movement, women of color were excluded, forced to march behind white women in protests, and often left to do much of their activism on their own.

Despite its flaws, the impacts of the Seneca Falls convention can not be ignored and are still seen across our country today. Although we still have far to go until we reach true gender equality, we are much closer than we were on those fateful July days in 1848 when the ideas that power American feminism were born.

By: Hanna Matsukawa

In a largely patriarchal world, it is important to celebrate and advocate for gender equality. International Women’s Day is dedicated to recognizing the advancement of women’s rights, and continuing the necessary work towards gender parity.

The history of International Women’s Day dates back to 1908, when women marched through the streets of New York City calling for better pay, shorter working hours, and the right to vote. As a result of this rise in feminist awareness, the Socialist Party Of America declared a National Women’s Day, and it was first celebrated in the United States on February 28th, 1909.

The following year, at the second International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen, politician and feminist Clara Zetkin proposed an International Women’s Day. First observed in 1911 in Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, International Women's Day was the result of such women like Zetkin who called for gender equality around the world. Millions of women rallied together and marched for suffrage, the right to work, the right to hold public office, and the end of gender discrimination. While the start of World War I impeded the impact of these mass protests, the momentum of the women’s rights movement was only stalled. Many countries passed laws giving women the right to vote during the 1910s and 1920s.

On February 23rd, 1913, International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time in Russia. International Women’s Day is now observed on March 8th, the Gregorian calendar equivalent. On February 23rd in 1917, Russian women protested the mass death of soldiers and held a strike for “bread and peace.” The strike lasted four days, and played a part in the Czar’s abdication. The new Russian government gave women the right to vote in thanks for the part they played.

The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s and rode through the 1980s. Perhaps due to this rise in feminism, the United Nations officially began celebrating International Women’s Day in 1975. In 1996, the UN announced its first International Women’s day theme: “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future.” Since then, a new theme has been announced annually, highlighting the campaign’s focus for the year. The 2022 International Women’s Day theme is “#Break the Bias,” calling for “a world where difference is valued and celebrated.” This year’s International Women’s Day is about breaking the biases that limit our progress towards a more “diverse, equitable, and inclusive” society.

In a world of postfeminism and powerful women, it is easy to disregard the fact that gender equality has still not been realized. The existence of the gender wage gap, violence and sexual assault against women, and struggles with reproductive rights are only a few examples of the ongoing need for feminism. Along with fighting to end these large-scale issues, we must do our best to fight for gender equality in our small, everyday actions. This International Women’s Day, and every other day of the year, we can work to break biases and create a more inclusive and just society.

Gender Equality in International States: Where Do We See Progress?

by: Lyla Anderson Over the last two centuries we have seen more progress towards gender equality than ever before. Movements that demanded change across the globe gave women the right to vote, to own property, even to be educated. Despite our efforts and our progress, no state on earth has fully achieved gender equality. Admittedly, some countries have come further than others, making an effort to bridge the gender gap in a multitude of ways. Countries like Norway, Nicaragua and New Zealand are in the top ten countries with the smallest gender gap, according to the World Population Review. On the other hand however, Yemen, Pakistan and Chad are listed as being in the top ten countries with the biggest gender gaps. Upon further inspection of how these countries placed in the review, it becomes clear that the countries with the smallest gender gap also had the most female representation in government. But what are the further implications for achieving gender equality in politics? And why are some countries better at doing so than others?

Evidently, the structure of a country's government plays a big role in gender equality. Some types of governments are better at supporting gender equality than others. According to the European Parliament, the type of electoral system a country correlates to their level of female political representation in the European Union. Of the countries where 20% or more seats of parliament were held by women, all had a proportional electoral system. Proportional election systems are systems that have policies in place to make sure that the diversity of the elected officials represents the diversity of the voters. Some of these countries, like Norway, Denmark and Sweden, use a zipper system. This

system requires alternation between male and female candidates by only allowing women to run every other year, guaranteeing women a representative spot in government.

The benefit to having systems that support female representation in politics is multifold. Research from Vanderbilt University indicates that whether a legislator is female or male has a distinct impact on their policy priorities. There is evidence that as more women are elected to office, there is an increase in policy that emphasizes quality of life and reflects the priorities of families, women, and ethnic and racial minorities. Working towards gender equality in politics creates policies that work toward gender equality in all aspects. In Norway's case, the zipper system coupled with their Gender Equality Act allowed Norway to take the forefront in women's rights. Recently Norway proposed a white paper that will lay the foundation for long-term efforts for equality between women and men, with a focus on education, the business world, health, violence and abuse. Moreover, Norway recognizes that legal framework is necessary for combatting discrimination, so they pledge to renew an equality and discrimination bill.

In countries with less progress and bigger gender gaps, there is a correlation to a lack of policy intended to protect and uphold women. Yemen, one of the countries with the biggest gender gap, has no policy that is designed to help female representation in politics. There is Yemeni policy that prohibits women working in the same capacity of a man without approval from her husband, legislation that disparages women if they undermine any political organization and no legislation that prohibits sexual harassment in the workforce. These policies, and lack thereof, have contributed to the gender gap in Yemen and the slow progress we see there now.

Progress towards closing the gender gap across the world continues, and in some countries we have come further than others. We can see that in countries with governments and systems designed to work towards women representation in politics, we see a correlation to the amount of gender inequality the country has overall. While it is clear we have made a lot of progress towards gender equality in the last two hundred years, it is also clear that there is still work to be done.

A Look into the Potential Supreme Court Nominees

by: Susannah Mayall During the 2020 Democratic primary, Biden pledged that his first Supreme Court nominee would be a black woman. With Justice Stephen Breyer set to retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the term, President Biden has the opportunity to make his pledge a reality. This is a historic moment for equality, as there has never been a black female Supreme Court nominee before. Biden has not announced his nominee yet, but the shortlist has been narrowed down to two women: Ketanji Brown Jackson and Leondra Kruger. Here is a brief overview on the top two potential nominees.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is the favourite for Biden’s nomination. Born in Washington DC, Jackson went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. After graduating, Jackson worked at private law firms until 2009, when Obama nominated Jackson to become Vice Chair of the Sentencing Commission. During her time on the Sentencing Commission, Jackson enacted reforms to drug sentencing such as reducing drug crimes to a level 2 offence.

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s federal career began in 2013, after Obama nominated her to serve on the District Court for the District of Columbia. During her time as a district judge, Jackson presided over infamous cases such as the 2016 Pizzagate

Shooting and hearings over the January 6th Insurrection.

Jackson was viewed as a potential Supreme Court nominee even before Breyer announced his retirement. Shortly after Biden pledged to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court, he nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson for the DC Circuit of the US Court of Appeals. This court is viewed as a stepping stone to the Supreme Court, with Justices such as Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas sitting there before being elevated to the Supreme Court. Jackson was evaluated by White House Aides last year who concluded she was a suitable contender for a potential nomination.

A close second candidate for Biden’s nomination is Leondra Kruger. Kruger was born in California to a Jamaican mother and European father. She went on to graduate from Harvard and earn her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. Kruger wrote in The Harvard Crimson and the Yale Law Journal during her studies. She was the first black woman to be editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal.

Leondra Kruger began her legal career in private law in 2001. In 2002, she began clerking for Judge David Tatel on the DC Circuit of the US Court of Appeals. Kruger then extended her work as a law clerk in 2003, clerking for US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens before going back into private practice.

Kruger moved to a judicial career in 2014, after Governor Jerry Brown appointed Kruger to the California Supreme Court. She was the court’s second black female justice and third youngest appointee (at 38). She continues to serve on the California Supreme Court.

Like Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger was also speculated as a potential nominee after Biden’s announcement to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court. Kruger was also evaluated by White House Aides last year. In February, she was questioned by the Biden administration on her views on religious liberty. This was following controversy regarding Kruger’s role in the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School vs Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she argued that federal discrimination laws should apply to religious organisations’ selection of religious leaders.

Overall, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Leondra Kruger are highly qualified, deserving frontrunners for the Supreme Court nomination. Their potential nomination marks a significant moment for equality, and signals to a more progressive and diverse future for the Supreme Court. Irrespective of who Biden selects for this historic Supreme Court nomination, both candidates are inspirational women in politics with successful legal careers and ample experience leading up to their consideration for the role.

FEMALE NUDITY IN MEDIA: THE EXPECTATION OF FEMALE EXPOSURE by: Veronica Rohlfing

While once taboo and promiscuous, nudity in film has become increasingly more common, specifically for women. As nude scenes become commonplace, actresses are forced to balance their comfort with such extreme exposure and the quality of performance that nudity can bring to a set as an artistic choice. However, while Hollywood is forcing this evaluation on many, if not most, of its actresses, it is not a struggle that most of their male coworkers have to face. HBO’s new season of Euphoria has aired numerous explicit scenes featuring both men and women, prompting actress Sydney Sweeney to speak out about the doublestandard that actresses face when filming nude scenes. In an interview with The Independent, Sweeney said “I’m very proud of my work in Euphoria . . . But no one talks about it because I got naked.”

Sweeney accused viewers of focusing on her body and nudity instead of the quality of her performance. In her previous work where she did not appear nude, the reception was much different. The actress emphasized that this kind of thing doesn’t happen when men film nude scenes. In her Independent interview she said: “When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, it’s completely different.”

A report out of USC Annenberg analyzed the 100 most popular movies from 2017 and found that “female characters (28.4%) were far more likely than male characters (7.5%) to be shown in tight or alluring apparel, and with some nudity (M=9.6%, F=25.4%).” This statistic prevails despite the fact that there were more than 2x as many male characters than female in the movies they evaluated.

Sweeney recalled photos of her nude scenes from Euphoria plastered across social media after they premiered on the show, and her younger brother being tagged in the posts. Sweeney is arguably the most prominent woman to speak about this doublestandard right now, but she is far from the first. In 2011, actress Natalie Portman told MTV that she detests the “misappropriation” of her nude scenes after many of hers were reposted on porn sites. At an Elle Magazine event in 2017, Jennifer Lawrence recalled participating in a line-up against other women during an audition, using only tape to cover up. The producer, a woman, told Lawrence to use the naked photos as inspiration to lose weight. In 2019, Emilia Clarke told the Armchair Expert podcast that she had had on-set arguments over not wanting to be naked on-camera after doing so in Game of Thrones. After she had agreed once, it was expected of her in subsequent work.

So, it seems that despite Hollywood’s harsh expectations for female nudity, women receive a lot of backlash for obliging. Sydney Sweeney assured The Independent that she never once felt uncomfortable on the set of Euphoria, and praised director Sam Levinson for always agreeing to let her shoot clothed when Sweeney requested to. In her case, the problem lies with how her performance was received, not how it was directed.

While sex scenes have the potential to be empowering, it is a very personal decision for any actor or actress to make. This decision is only complicated by the expectation put on actresses to comply. When watching, it’s important for both viewers and critics to be aware and critical of the performers’ working conditions, and to keep in mind that there are important artistic motivations behind the decision.

Put Your Money in the Stock Market: Why Women Need to Start Investing by: Sage Lahmers Over the past few months, you've probably heard something about cryptocurrency or NFTs. From GameStop to Bitcon, investing has been all over the news this past year. Investing takes many different forms, but it is a great way to help you build up financial freedom. Despite this, women are nowhere near as involved in investing as men.

Only 1 in 3 women see themselves as an active investor, meaning that 2/3rds of

Many women say that what’s holding them back from investing is the lack of a

women aren't maximizing their wealth.

clear plan for how to do so properly.

Many women started investing during

There are many easy online investing

the pandemic, myself included. In fact,

services that can provide analysis on

50% of women say they have become more interested in investing since the start of the pandemic, possibly because many got a flush of extra income from stimulus checks. During 2020, Fidelity saw a 9% increase in female customers. The extra money along with services to

various stocks which may be helpful to new investors. If you are over the age of 18, you may choose to discuss investments with a fiduciary who can give you insight or advice. Additionally, there is plenty of advice online in articles or videos. Many women have also stayed

aid new investors led to an increased

out of investing because they don’t see

interest in investing. 7 in 10 women wish

themselves among successful investors.

they had started investing earlier in their life, so if you are considering investing, you should just take the leap. If that isn’t

However, this is changing fast. 51% of personal wealth in the US is owned by women.

enough to convince you, some studies have shown that women may even be better investors than men.

There are a few key things you should keep in mind throughout your investing journey. When investing, you should put your money in a Roth IRA. Money placed in a Roth IRA isn’t taxable by the government, so none of it will be taken come tax season. In addition, invest your money in mutual funds or index funds to begin with because these are more reliable, meaning they lead to a steady return over a long period of time. Long term investments are usually used to help save up for large investments, such as education, housing, or retirement.

One of the most important things to me when investing is knowing that I support what I invest in. This makes my investments feel more personal and allows me to feel as though I am creating change while improving my financial situation. Being financially literate and being active with your finances will set you ahead in life.While we continue to fight for equal pay, investing is a way to help close that gender wealth gap.

However you decide to invest your money, the time to think about investing is now. Particularly with long term investments, the earlier you start investing, the higher your returns will be. Women invest 40% less than men. That needs to change because investing is an incredibly powerful financial tool that can set you ahead in life. Now is the time to start gaining knowledge about investing and applying it. There are tons of resources online the second you start looking for them. Take the next step to better

yourself today and improve your knowledge of finance and investing!

Founder and Co-Exec. Director

Co-Exec. Director

Rebecca Joseph

Katherine Bronov

Walnut Creek, CA | 16 years old

Philadelphia, PA | 18 years old

We are the co-executive directors of Women In Politics. WIP was founded by me (Rebecca) in 2020 during the start of the pandemic. I am a high school junior from the Bay area and felt that when I first joined the Speech and Debate team at my school girls like myself were underrepresented. I very quickly realized this was not only the case at my school but also in the government on all scales. That was how Women In Politics was born. I (Katherine) am a freshman in college and joined WIP from the very start, back in 2020. I have been passionate about politics since the start of high school and I had searched for organizations and clubs that interest me but found nothing until Women In Politics (WIP) caught my eye. WIP is a very special organization and fascinatingly the first of its kind. Now, almost 2 years later we are insanely grateful to lead this amazing team and for all that we have accomplished. We hope you keep following our journey and we thank you for your support!

Please enjoy this issue!

Magazine Manager Christine Corry

Sacramento, CA | 17 years old I’m Christine, the magazine manager at Women in Politics. My passion for political involvement started very young, and ever since my eyes were opened to the political world, I have searched for new opportunities to have my voice heard. Finding Women in Politics has allowed me the opportunity to have my political voice expressed, and to uplift other youthful voices in the political sphere. I am constantly inspired by the magazine team for all of their passion and hard work. I feel that Women in Politics is making constant strides towards a future which equally represents women in the political field and it is an honor to be a part of that change. Thank you for journeying with us to that future! I hope you enjoy this issue!

Isabella Rinaldi

San Francisco, CA | 15 years old

Cedar Roach

Dallas, TX | 18 years old

Sara Keegan

New York, NY | 17 years old

Rachel Baumann | Christine Corry | Katherine Bronov

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