Misplaced Pages

#169830

85-459: The fear of conservative women at the time was the burgeoning feminist movement taking root in women's colleges which would allegedly plant the idea in men's minds that because women were now seen as independent, they could shirk their economic duties as providers. By 1932, Mrs. Randolph Frothingham (who was from Brookline, Massachusetts ) was president of the WPC. Mrs. John Fremont Hill from Boston

170-489: A central concern of feminist theory, which has sought to explore how gender constructs meaning. While developing theories of gender, feminist discourse has often ignored other aspects of women's identities—such as race, class, and sexual orientation—thereby marginalizing the voices and experiences of women of color, non-Western women, working-class women, queer women, and trans women . Essentialism challenges feminist theory by questioning how gender can be both an identity and

255-475: A critique of gender essentialism by fostering analyses, critiques, and political interventions, expanding the political imagination for feminism beyond traditional constraints. Feminist post-structuralism does not represent a fixed position but rather provides tools and concepts that can be "reused and rethought, exposed as strategic instruments and effects, and subjected to critical reinscription and redeployment." Critics such as Susan Bordo suggest that Butler

340-413: A discipline has historically depended upon the fixedness of gender. Sandy Stone offered a critique to essentialist discourses of gender in " The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto " (1987), a foundational essay in transgender studies . Since then, other theorists like Jack Halberstam , Jay Prosser , Judith Butler , Julia Serano , Paul B. Preciado and Susan Stryker have written on

425-428: A disorder that negatively impacted women's lives. Martin's piece provides insight on how society places great importance on the different biological processes between genders. The 1993 publication of The Lenses of Gender by Sandra Bem addresses how gender differences are perceived by society. She also talks about how essentialist gender roles reproduce male power. Essentialism of gender in feminist theory presents

510-586: A feminist in 2008. In the spread of this new classification for women, where women's advocacy took on a unique form, Palin called for a rise of a new breed of feminism, and this idea quickly came to popularity among right-wing women. Conservative women played a key role in the Tea Party movement, often adopting populist rhetoric reminiscent of the "housewife populism" of the 1950s and 1960s. These women, most notably Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, attacked Barack Obama as an outsider and claimed to represent

595-611: A form of identity politics . Elevate PAC is a political action committee created by Elise Stefanik after the 2018 midterm elections to bolster support for female conservative candidates during their primaries. Since then, EPAC has backed 61 conservative women candidates, 27 of whom have won their respective elections. Gender essentialism Gender essentialism is a theory which attributes distinct, intrinsic qualities to women and men. Based in essentialism , it holds that there are certain universal, innate, biologically (or psychologically) based features of gender that are at

680-677: A landslide. Still, his nomination illustrated the shift from moderation to more hardline stances in many members of the Republican Party. His campaign also showcased the success of conservative grassroots organizations and mobilization. As feminist organizations, such as the National Organization for Women and ERAmerica , campaigned for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment , antifeminist organizations run by conservative women mobilized to oppose

765-500: A list of individuals which they wanted barred from entering the United States, including George Bernard Shaw and the grandson of Karl Marx . Infamously, this also included filing a memorandum complaining of Albert Einstein 's return to the United States. Einstein, a Jewish German-born American citizen and socialist pacifist, was targeted by the WPC, which attempted to bar his entry into the United States and stated: Einstein

850-691: A marker of difference, posing problems for the idea of subjectivity in feminist theories. Black and lesbian feminists, in particular, have argued that feminist theory has often relied on gender essentialism, employing the category of "women's experience" to represent all women. By doing so, feminist theory makes universalizing and normalizing claims that reflect the realities of white, Western, heterosexual, cisgender , and middle- or upper-class women, while implying these experiences are universal to all women. In 1993, Patrice DiQuinzio wrote that critics of exclusion argue that this issue stems from feminist theory's focus on theorizing women's experiences solely through

935-532: A measure which would lead to population control , and a tyrannical imposition of federal power over the states. Women in conservatism in the United States Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Women in conservatism in

SECTION 10

#1732794623170

1020-479: A permanent form of social containment for women". Naturalism is also a part of the system of essentialism where a fixed nature is postulated for women through the means of theological or ontological rather than biological grounds. An example of this would be the claim that women's nature is a God-given attribute, or the ontological invariants in Sartrean existentialism or Freudian psychoanalysis that distinguish

1105-400: A political commentator on conservative television, she is one of the most recognizable and influential voices for conservative women today, as she has started many conservative political trends such as the continual critique of mainstream liberalism. As a conservative, Phyllis Schlafly argued that the female gender is actually privileged, and that women have "the most rights and rewards, and

1190-460: A pro-Goldwater book written by young female conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly . Grassroots activists, many of them women, were crucial to the conservative Goldwater's victory in the Republican primary over liberal Republican Nelson Rockefeller, particularly in the crucial state of California. However, Goldwater lost the national election to incumbent Democratic president Lyndon Johnson in

1275-411: A problem regarding transfeminism . Gayle Salamon writes that trans studies are to be "the breaking apart of this category, particularly if that breaking requires a new articulation of the relation between sex and gender, male and female". Transubjectivity challenges the binary of gender essentialism as it disrupts the "fixed taxonomies of gender" and this creates a resistance in women's studies, which as

1360-579: A prominent leader of the California Republican Assembly, sought to undermine his candidacy. These attempts failed, nevertheless, as Reagan was elected. However, a significantly lower number of women than men voted for Reagan when he was eventually elected President of the United States. Reagan gained the support of more conservative women by attempting to close this "gender gap." He enacted equal rights policies attempting to end discrimination laws. Still, Reagan's election showed that

1445-451: A routine, methodical, and ongoing accomplishment, which involves a complex of perceptual, interactional and micropolitical activities that cast particular pursuits as expressions of manly and womanly 'natures'" in their 1995 text Doing Difference . This does not mean that the material nature of the human body is denied, instead, it is re-comprehended as separate from the process by which "the body comes to bear cultural meanings". Therefore,

1530-471: A successful businesswoman, becoming the CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 1999. However, Fiorina was fired from her position in 2005 due to a number of factors such as economic conditions, operational failures, gender bias, and questionable ethics. Fiorina turned to politics and won the Republican nomination for senator of California in 2010, but lost to incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer . She quickly gathered acclaim from

1615-538: Is a religious organization that seeks to promote Christian values. The group was founded in 1979 by Beverly LaHaye , wife of prominent evangelical Christian minister Tim LaHaye , as part of the movement to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment. CWA's ideology is social conservatism , and the group has been labelled as antifeminist . LaHaye founded the group, in part, to contest the claims of feminists to represent all women. Their agenda includes stopping

1700-764: Is assumed to be universal and is generally identified with those characteristics viewed as being specifically feminine. These ideas of femininity are usually related to biology and often concern psychological characteristics such as nurturance, empathy, support, non-competitiveness, etc. Elyce Rae Helford, a gender researcher, notes that Laura Mulvey 's theory of male gaze has been criticised for essentialism. In 1980, Monique Wittig published One Is Not Born A Woman, an article that discusses how gender essentialist views regarding men, women, and gender roles work to re-establish patriarchal roles and ideas in society. She also talks about how these views contribute to women's oppression, focusing on “lesbianism” and how it goes against

1785-417: Is established at the origin of time, with the bible saying of Adam and Eve "...in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them", indicating that the difference is instituted by God. Some discuss if this verse is an expression of gender essentialism or a reference to humanity as a whole. Gender essentialism has been heavily influenced by both religion and by science, with religion being

SECTION 20

#1732794623170

1870-438: Is in no way a stable identity or locus of agency from which various acts proceed; rather, it is an identity tenuously constituted in time—an identity instituted through the stylization of the body and, hence, must be understood as the mundane way in which bodily gestures, movements and enactments of various kinds constitute the illusion of an abiding gendered self". Candace West and Sarah Fenstermaker also conceptualize gender "as

1955-476: Is more based in libertarianism than the Republican Party since they strive for economic freedom . IWF in 2003 had approximately 1,600 members. Composed primarily of female political professionals, the group focuses on media appearances, publishing research reports, and helping female members earn Cabinet positions. However, the IWF does not promote female candidates for elected office, claiming these efforts are

2040-559: Is not a factor associated with this desire for participation among conservative women. There is also a significant gap in support for the #MeToo movement along party lines, as Democratic women report higher levels of support than Republican women. There are mixed feelings towards the #MeToo movement from conservative women. Candace Owens , an outspoken conservative, tweeted back in 2018 that #MeToo painted women as "stupid, weak & inconsequential." Other conservative women, such as Mona Charen , have shared different sentiments, calling out

2125-414: Is reducing gender to language and abstraction. The main alternative to gender essentialism is the theory of the social construction of gender. In contrast to gender essentialism, social constructionism views gender as created and influenced by society and culture, both of which differ according to time and place. Theories of the social construction of gender grew out of theories in second-wave feminism in

2210-534: Is rooted in the idea that there are only two genders – male and female. This claim is analyzed by feminist theorist Monique Wittig in her article, One Is Not Born A Woman. In her piece, Wittig's main claim counters the theory of gender essentialism, claiming that there is not a "natural" group of women and this idea is founded in patriarchal oppression, sexism, and homophobia. The gender essentialist claim of masculinity theorizes that men are dominant, and women are submissive. Feminist theorist Sandra Bem analyzes

2295-453: The 2016 presidential election , according to exit poll data, 41% of women voted for Trump, as opposed to 54% of women who voted for Hillary Clinton . In the 2020 presidential election , Trump's support among women increased slightly, as he received 42% of women's vote, a 1% increase from the previous election. When the #MeToo movement surfaced, some conservatives embraced antifeminist ideas to combat it. Some researchers have investigated

2380-617: The Independent Women's Forum . Women first began to oppose suffrage in Massachusetts in 1868. They succeeded in blocking the proposal, and this caused the movement to gain momentum. The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage (NAOWS) was thus formed by Josephine Dodge in 1911 with approximately 350,000 members. This organization mostly consisted of wealthy women who were often wives of politicians. These women helped defeat nearly 40 suffrage proposals, and published

2465-538: The US State Department to bar Einstein's entry to the United States were distributed to US consuls . In response to these efforts, Einstein threatened to cancel his engagement with Princeton University if his visa were not issued within 24 hours. The visa was granted. In 1932, the WPC had Mary G. Kilbreth of its board of directors testify for the 72nd US Congress , against federal legislation concerning birth control which it considered to be immoral,

2550-933: The Women's Protest to voice their agenda nationwide. Dodge and the organization argued that women should stay out of politics to be more efficient and diligent in "work for which her nature and her training fit her." These antifeminist beliefs are what shaped the anti-suffrage crusade. In the early 1950s, local activist movements against liberal education reforms became an early source of organization for conservative women. As progressive school administrators attempted to desegregate public schools and implement non-traditional teaching methods, grassroots organizations run primarily by women mobilized to oppose these measures. Such organizations notably succeeded in ousting Pasadena superintendent Willard Goslin and Houston deputy superintendent George Ebey, attracting national media attention. Many conservative women were attracted to this cause, as

2635-490: The priesthood . The gender essentialist claim of biology theorizes that gender differences are rooted in nature and biology. Historical views based in gender essentialism claim that there are biological causes for the differences between men and women, such as women giving birth and men going out and hunting. This claim is analyzed in detail by Emily Martin in her article Medical Metaphors of Women’s Bodies: Menstruation and Menopause . In her article, Martin examines some of

Woman Patriot Corporation - Misplaced Pages Continue

2720-576: The "decline in moral values of our nation," restricting access to pornography, defunding the United Nations , defining the family as heterosexually led, opposing abortion, and advocating for prayer in schools. Concerned Women for America primarily operates as a grassroots organization, with a membership of approximately 500,000. The group organizes prayer groups for women across the country, and encourages members to contact their representatives to advocate for conservative causes. The group also uses

2805-618: The "hypocrites" in the Republican Party "who brag about their extramarital affairs" and "brag about mistreating women." Michele Bachmann unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president in the 2012 election. Although Bachmann attempted to utilize conservative views that appeal to the Tea Party movement , the media's coverage of her was very different from her male candidates. The media instead focused on her migraines, her marriage, and her hair and makeup style choices. However, her campaign started strongly, as she performed well in

2890-439: The 2024 primary, she was the last remaining challenger to Donald Trump, where she represented traditional conservative views, with a campaign focused on foreign policy, term limits and mental competency tests, and the economy. Haley is the second highest vote-getting woman to run for President, second only to Hillary Clinton . As a political commentator , Ann Coulter has written numerous books and columns, and often appears as

2975-503: The ERA from passing, ensuring the ERA could not reach 38 ratifying states. By 1976, the Republican party abandoned its support of the Equal Rights Amendment, and by 1980 conservative anti-ERA women had succeeded in other goals, securing an anti-abortion plank in the GOP platform and helping nominate Ronald Reagan for president. At the end of the 1970s, less than half of women supported the ERA, and

3060-457: The Equal Rights Amendment is credited with reviving the Republican Party after the Watergate scandal . Following Nixon's resignation, only 18 percent of voters identified as Republicans. As conservative women mobilized against the ERA, however, the Republican party was able to tap into popular discontent with feminism, abortion rights, and secularism by tying these issues to the movement to pass

3145-547: The John Birch Society. A significant source of conservative women's activism was in southern California in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in Orange County, California . Female conservative activists organized around their opposition to internationalism, Communism, and the welfare state. These women mainly consisted of "suburban warriors," or middle-class housewives who feared that their Christian nation

3230-736: The Republican base, and was appointed chair of the American Conservative Union Foundation in 2013. In 2015, she announced her candidacy for President of the United States . Although she was the only viable female candidate in the Republican primary, she was reluctant to indulge in gender politics, due to both her conservative and corporate personas. Fiorina dropped out of the race in February 2016 to endorse Ted Cruz , and soon became his running mate. In 2010, Sarah Palin , whose nomination to run for Vice President with Republican presidential candidate John McCain

3315-483: The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump from 2017-2018. She was a candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries facing Trump, among other candidates. She suspended her campaign on March 6, 2024 following losses on Super Tuesday . Haley became the first Republican women to ever win a Presidential primary, winning the D.C. primary , followed by the state of Vermont . In

3400-626: The United States have advocated for social, political, economic, and cultural conservative policies since anti-suffragism . Leading conservative women such as Phyllis Schlafly have expressed that women should embrace their privileged essential nature . This thread of belief can be traced through the anti-suffrage movement, the Red Scare , and the Reagan Era , and is still present in the 21st century, especially in several conservative women's organizations such as Concerned Women for America and

3485-822: The Women's Information Network. The IWF was organized explicitly to prevent left-wing women from speaking on behalf of their sex, particularly in the wake of the Clarence Thomas hearings and the Year of the Woman . Its agenda includes opposition to the Violence Against Women Act , supporting the war in Iraq and women's rights there, challenging feminist professors on college campuses, opposing affirmative action, and other fiscal conservative policies. However, IWF

Woman Patriot Corporation - Misplaced Pages Continue

3570-672: The acting president of the New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage . The WPC, having formed after World War I and during the First Red Scare , was allied against communism , anarchy , and pacifism (especially internationally). In the 1920s, Mrs. Randolph Frothingham, who was then on the board of directors for the WPC, filed alongside the group with regards to a Supreme Court case called Massachusetts v. Mellon , consolidated with Frothingham v. Mellon . The WPC had been compiling

3655-401: The age of 4 to 10 show the tendency to endorse the role of nature in determining gender-stereotyped properties, an "early bias to view gender categories as predictive of essential, underlying similarities", which gradually declines as they pass elementary school years. In feminist theory and gender studies , gender essentialism is the attribution of a fixed essence to women. Women's essence

3740-548: The amendment stripped women of what she saw as their special "privileges." She saw it as anti-Christian and argued that it promoted policies such as abortion, sex education, and LGBTQ rights. She also claimed that it would give power to federal courts and take power away from the states. Amy Coney Barrett is a Supreme Court justice who was nominated and sworn in under the Trump administration after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's passing. Her nomination and eventual confirmation secured

3825-406: The amendment. The GOP and the conservative movement made inroads with evangelical Protestants, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and Mormons through the anti-ratification movement. The campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment, mobilizing women on the basis of their gender, brought new women into the conservative movement based on the social issues of the 1970s, rather than the anticommunist fervor of

3910-505: The amendment. The ERA, stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex," passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate with overwhelming majorities in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Following congressional approval, the amendment needed to be ratified by 38 of the 50 state legislatures to be adopted. In

3995-415: The anatomical aspects of the female body, and gender, as the cultural meaning that forms the body and the various modes of bodily articulation, means that it is "no longer possible to attribute the values or social functions of women to biological necessity". Butler interprets this claim as an appropriation of the doctrine of constituting acts from the tradition of phenomenology. Butler concludes that "gender

4080-716: The belief that women had to rid their bodies of toxins by menstruating while men could sweat their toxins out. By the 1800s, this view remained the same, but the reasoning had changed. In 1879, the French doctor, Gustave Le Bon , explained this inferiority of women as their brains being closer to the size of gorillas than most male brains. Le Bon also stated that women were fickle, inconsistent, lacked thought and logic, and were not able to reason. Children have been observed making gender categorizations and displaying essentialist beliefs about gender preferences and indications. Proponents of gender essentialism propose that children from

4165-522: The claim and its roots in her 1993 book, The Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality. Bem also breaks down how gender differences are perceived in society and how patriarchal views and claims of biology work together to “reproduce male power.” The male–female dichotomy has been an important factor in most religions. In the Abrahamic religions the difference between man and woman

4250-491: The connection between political ideology and the perception of sexual harassment, finding that, in a survey of women, the number of instances of gender discrimination and sexual harassment reportedly experienced by conservative women is significantly lower than that for liberal women. Additionally, some research has found that political participation and the likelihood of voting in general elections are higher for women who have experienced gender discrimination, but that this finding

4335-698: The conservative majority on the Court. Barrett leans more conservative on issues pertaining to abortion, gun, and other civil rights, such as in the case of Kanter v. Barr , where Barrett explained that the right to bear arms should not be taken away from anyone but those convicted of dangerous felonies. Additionally, in June 2022, Barrett voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court case, which removed national protections for abortion services. Concerned Women for America

SECTION 50

#1732794623170

4420-483: The early postwar era. The anti-ERA movement was successful in defeating the amendment, changing the Republican party platform, and shifting public opinion. STOP ERA and its allies ran strong state-level campaigns in battleground states, while pro-ERA groups focused on a national strategy that proved ineffective at winning over state legislators. Conservative women focused on states with traditionalist public sentiments, such as heavily Mormon and Southern states, to prevent

4505-452: The effort to ratify the amendment was largely abandoned. After Goldwater's defeat, grassroots conservatives had to rethink their strategy. Thus, conservative women soon turned to Ronald Reagan . He won over the support of the women of Orange County and successfully unified the party when he was elected Governor of California in the 1966 election. However, there were some women that opposed him due to his more mainstream views. Cyril Stevenson,

4590-565: The example of reproduction and how one male can fertilize many females but a female can be fertilized by only one male.” Biologism is a particular form of essentialism that defines women's and men's essence in terms of biological capacities. This form of essentialism is based on a form of reductionism , meaning that social and cultural factors are the effects of biological causes. Biological reductivism "claim[s] that anatomical and physiological differences—especially reproductive differences—characteristic of human males and females determine both

4675-469: The fewest duties." She advocated for women to stay out of politics and the workplace. She argued against feminists and claimed that they actually take away rights from women. She thus led the opposition against the Equal Rights Amendment , and successfully prevented the amendment from being ratified by the required number of states before the ratification deadline set by the Congress. Schlafly argued that

4760-578: The first presidential debate and soon led in the primary polls. Bachmann was forced to drop out of the race after her poor performance in the Iowa caucuses . Still, many conservative women continue to support her, and this support along with that of Sarah Palin in 2008 has showed that conservatives now seriously consider women for major political roles. Bachmann's run also sparked the debate of women's role in politics and public policy, and whether or not gender roles should be reexamined. Carly Fiorina began as

4845-515: The following year 30 states ratified, with most approving the amendment in the first three months. Given the considerable momentum behind the amendment, the ERA appeared certain to be adopted. Soon after Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment, Phyllis Schlafly assembled a meeting of conservative women, mostly members of the National Federation of Republican Women , to form STOP ERA ("Stop Taking Our Privileges"). The organization

4930-448: The historical views that used biology to explain the differences between women and men. One popular view in ancient Greece was that men were superior to women because they could sweat out their toxins while women had to menstruate to get rid of their toxins. In 1975, American biologist, Edward O. Wilson , claimed that “both human and social behavior and human organization” are encoded in human genes. He later added to this claim, using

5015-479: The ideas that Anthony argued for such as political activism but not the feminist ideas more modern than those, such as the pro-choice movement. Because this term originated from Palin's endorsement and was used in Palin's advertisements, it has been linked to her and the Tea Party, which she has affiliated with. These mama grizzlies are self-proclaimed conservative feminists, with Palin herself publicly identifying as

5100-579: The interests of "Joe Six Pack." This brand of populism rose to prominence in the first two years of Obama's presidency, from 2008 to 2010, culminating in the Tea Party. Women were integral to the movement, as they represented 45 to 55 percent of the members of Tea Party organizations and held a majority of leadership positions. Critics of the mama grizzly viewpoint do not agree that Palin's ideas are feminist, such as her anti-abortion views. Palin's viewpoint has been opposed by socially liberal feminists, with some, such as Jessica Valenti claiming that this angle

5185-606: The issue confronted several key principles for the emerging American conservative movement: traditionalism, anti-communism, and skepticism of big government. Women were well-positioned through their role as housewives to portray themselves as protectors of their local community and the principle of home rule against outsiders trying to radically transform children's education. In order to organize these local-level campaigns against education reforms, women activists created conservative political networks and study groups that would facilitate future advocacy of conservative causes. Throughout

SECTION 60

#1732794623170

5270-432: The latter half of the 20th century. Judith Butler 's theory of gender performativity can be seen as a means to show "the ways in which reified and naturalized conceptions of gender might be understood as constituted and, hence, capable of being constituted differently". Butler uses the phenomenological theory of acts espoused by Edmund Husserl , Maurice Merleau-Ponty and George Herbert Mead , which seeks to explain

5355-418: The lens of gender. Addressing this, some propose adopting an intersectional framework, which considers the interconnected experiences of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Post-structuralism , as articulated by Judith Butler, refers to "a field of critical practices that cannot be totalized and that, therefore, interrogate the formative and exclusionary power of sexual difference." This framework enables

5440-437: The meaning of masculinity and femininity and the appropriately different positions of men and women in society". Biologism uses the functions of reproduction, nurturance, neurology, neurophysiology, and endocrinology to limit women's social and psychological possibilities according to biologically established limits. It asserts the science of biology to constitute an unalterable definition of identity, which inevitably "amounts to

5525-623: The mid-20th century. During second-wave feminism , Simone de Beauvoir and other feminists in the 1960s and 70s theorized that gender differences were socially constructed . In other words, people gradually conform to gender differences through their experience of the social world. More recently, Judith Butler theorized that people construct gender by performing it . While rejected by many feminist theorists, gender essentialism sheds light on social constructs surrounding gender that are found in society as well as societal views on sex and sexuality. The gender essentialist theory of normal gender

5610-450: The mundane way in which "social agents constitute social reality through language, gesture, and all manner of symbolic social sign", to create her conception of gender performativity. She begins by quoting Simone de Beauvoir's claim that "[o]ne is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." This statement distinguishes sex from gender suggesting that gender is an aspect of identity that is gradually acquired. This distinction between sex, as

5695-404: The new Republican majority, although still coined "mainstream," was now built on anti-liberalism and contained more conservative views, and conservative women activists like the women of Orange County played a very important role in that shift. The term mama grizzlies originated from Sarah Palin's endorsement of female candidates in the 2010 primaries, whom she gave this title to. Mama grizzly

5780-652: The organization helped to direct attention and resources toward other conservative groups dominated by women. Among the conservative groups of the period, particularly in the hotbed of southern California, conservative bookstores were a particularly effective institution for channeling the activist energies of conservative women. These stores sold polemics, novels, memoirs, and bumper stickers, all with an explicitly conservative (and anti-communist) bent. Sales served to disseminate information and bring in money for conservative organizations. Many of these stores were staffed and run primarily by women, many of whom were affiliated with

5865-462: The other. This view remained largely unchanged until the middle of the 19th century. This changed the locus of the origin of the essential differences from religion to biology, in Sandra Bem 's words, "from God's grand creation [to] its scientific equivalent: evolution's grand creation," but the belief in an immutable origin had not changed. Alternatives to gender essentialism were proposed in

5950-502: The perspective of evolutionary biology, such differences are to be expected, given the distinct reproductive strategies available to each sex. Perry concludes that denial of gender essentialism, at least in this case, harms the interests of women by favoring a culture of sexual interaction better suited to the sexual preferences of high-status men. Perry's book lays out other arguments in this theme, which have also been explored and developed by other feminists. Analyzing gender has long been

6035-463: The postwar period, women continued to be heavily involved in organizations of conservative activists. After campaigns against progressive education reform galvanized conservative women in the early 1950s, many began to join the John Birch Society and associated organizations after JBS's formation in 1958. While the John Birch Society maintained a rigidly patriarchal structure, with many chapters only allowing women to serve coffee and food at their meetings,

6120-859: The prominent reasoning behind gender essentialism until the mid-1800s. The reasoning ultimately changed from religion to science, but still supported the same essentialist thinking. The official view of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is an essentialist belief in gender. The 1995 LDS Church statement The Family: A Proclamation to the World declares gender to be an "essential characteristic" and an "eternal identity". Mormons generally believe in an eternal life and that it would be impossible for one's eternal gender to be different from one's physical, birth sex. Church regulations permit, but do not mandate, ex-communication for those who choose sexual reassignment surgery , and deny them membership in

6205-480: The revenue it generates from membership fees to operate an office in Washington, D.C., which serves as a headquarters for the group's lobbying and research operations. The Independent Women's Forum is an organization based more in fiscal conservatism . The IWF was formed in 1992 by members of Women for Judge Thomas, a group dedicated to supporting Clarence Thomas' confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice, and

6290-400: The root of many of the group differences observed in the behavior of men and women. In Western civilization, it is suggested in writings going back to ancient Greece . With the advent of Christianity , the earlier Greek model was expressed in theological discussions as the doctrine that there are two distinct sexes, male and female, created by God, and that individuals are immutably one or

6375-399: The sexes in the "claim that the human subject is somehow free or that the subjects social position is a function of his or her genital morphology". These systems are used to homogenize women into one singular category and to strengthen a binary between men and women. Throughout history women have been viewed as the submissive and inferior gender. In ancient Greece, this view was supported by

6460-561: The time emphasized inherent differences between the sexes, and its sex-segregated local organizations provided a political network for conservative suburban women. Conservative women, particularly those in grassroots organizations, supported Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater and successfully campaigned for him to become the presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 1964. Many women were mobilized in support of Goldwater's primary campaign after reading A Choice Not an Echo ,

6545-508: The topic. Some feminists have assumed gender essentialism, or argued for it explicitly. Cultural feminism , for example, is a strain of radical feminism that appeals to gender essentialism to exalt what it considers to be intrinsically female. In her book The Case Against the Sexual Revolution , Louise Perry points out that men and women show significant group differences in measured sociosexuality , and argues that, from

6630-735: The “rules” that society has set in place. Wittig's piece attempts to show how the gender essentialist claim of normal gender is rooted in homophobia and how these roots continue to allow women to be oppressed. In 1988, Emily Martin published Medical Metaphors of Women’s Bodies: Menstruation and Menopause. This piece analyzed the history of gender essentialist claims and how biology has been used to explain differences between genders. This claim of biology, according to Martin, dates back to ancient Greece. Martin explains that, throughout history, views regarding women varied with menstruation originally being viewed as something important but still something that made women lesser, but later changing to be viewed as

6715-525: Was a visible ascent of a conservative woman in 2008, declared a new voice for those women and supported many women for Congress whom she labeled mama grizzlies . Many supported Palin because of her stances against abortion and other issues that defy feminists; her " soccer mom " persona also was very appealing. Palin and McCain eventually lost the general election. Nikki Haley is an Indian-American conservative politician. She served as South Carolina's first female governor from 2011-2018, and also served as

6800-480: Was narrowly focused on opposing ratification of the amendment, claiming the ERA would subject women to the draft, attack the traditional family structure, and promote abortion. STOP ERA established chapters in 26 states and successfully lobbied against ratification in state legislatures that had yet to approve the amendment. The organization mobilized many conservative women, particularly religious women, who were previously uninvolved in politics. The movement to oppose

6885-502: Was not merely a pernicious influence; he was the ringleader of an anarcho-communist program whose aim was to shatter the military machinery of national governments as a preliminary for world revolution. Frothingham claimed that Einstein was "affiliated with more anarchist and Communist groups than Josef Stalin himself." She said that letting Einstein into the US would "allow anarchy to stalk in unmolested". Copies of Frothingham's letter urging

6970-484: Was officially coined in Palin's May 2010 speech for the Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life group, and it was later used in Palin's own advertisements. This description is used to describe conservative women who wish to play an active role in politics, whether it be through running for office or through campaigning for conservative ideas and topics. These women also refer to themselves as Susan B. Anthony feminists, agreeing with

7055-451: Was the vice president of the organization, and Mrs. Lewis C. Lucas from Washington, D.C. was the secretary- treasurer . As of 1932, the board of directors included Mrs. Frederic Jay Cotton of Boston, Mrs. Rufus M. Gibs of Baltimore , Mrs. James Cunningham Gray of Boston, Mrs. Paul Killiam of Cambridge , Mrs. Frederic W. Longfellow of New York , Mrs. Francis E. Slattery of Brighton , and Miss Mary G. Kilbreth. Kilbreth previously worked as

7140-683: Was under attack. Female conservative activists in southern California harnessed the preexisting culture of volunteerism and civic engagement, which largely revolved around women and their schedules, to mobilize for their causes. Increasing Cold War tensions and fears of Communism allowed these women to mobilize groups such as the John Birch Society and the American Civil Liberties Union to pursue their political agendas. Many women first found political community in Republican women's clubs. The Republican Party of

7225-488: Was used to take advantage of the presence of feminists like Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential election cycle. Other complaints draw from the group's denial of systemic sexism and oppression due to gender, with critics believing that mama grizzly ideals could not be labeled as feminist if they were to dismiss these matters. Republican President Donald Trump received the support of many conservative women, with groups such as Women for Trump backing his presidency. In

#169830