9.15.2008

Women in the White House

OK People, I want to know what you think about this Presidential race...

Not so much your political views, but more your view on women emerging more and more towards that Oval office. Many think that women are too emotional, too fragile, too "girly" to run this country, to even be a VP. What do you have to say about this?

I, for one, am so excited to be apart of this time in our nations history. I am positive I will see the first female President before God calls me home. It may not be this election, but I am positive it will happen in my lifetime.

"Throughout most of history women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were regarded as women's most significant professions. In the 20th century, however, women in most nations won the right to vote and increased their educational and job opportunities. Perhaps most important, they fought for and to a large degree accomplished a reevaluation of traditional views of their role in society."
-Excert from Women's History In America


Women have come so far in such a short time, take a look:

1850: The first National Women's Rights Convention takes place in Worceser, Mass., attracting more than 1,000 participants. National conventions are held yearly (except for 1857) through 1860.

May 1869: Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association. The primary goal of the organization is to achieve voting rights for women by means of a Congressional amendment to the Constitution.

Aug. 26, 1920: The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

1960: The Food and Drug Administration approves birth control pills.

1961: President John Kennedy establishes the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appoints Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman. The report issued by the Commission in 1963 documents substantial discrimination against women in the workplace and makes specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care.

June 19, 1963: Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job.

1969: California becomes the first state to adopt a "no fault" divorce law, which allows couples to divorce by mutual consent. By 1985 every state has adopted a similar law. Laws are also passed regarding the equal division of common property.

1973: As a result of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court establishes a woman's right to safe and legal abortion, overriding the anti-abortion laws of many states.

1978: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women. Under the Act, a woman cannot be fired or denied a job or a promotion because she is or may become pregnant, nor can she be forced to take a pregnancy leave if she is willing and able to work.

1986: Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, the Supreme Court finds that sexual harassment is a form of illegal job discrimination.

1994: The Violence Against Women Act tightens federal penalties for sex offenders, funds services for victims of rape and domestic violence, and provides for special training of police officers.

I could add many more things, but I wanted to highlight major milestones for women. Look at all women have done in such a short time! Next we conquer the White House :) I hope you have learned something, and you see what an amazing creature God created when he made woman.

On a lighter note about all this "Women climbing the ladder of life" stuff, I present to you a clip from a recent episode of Saturday Night Live that had me rolling! Enjoy.



Ta Ta for now

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