Webinar Report: Women & American Politics
The webinar was led by UCD Clinton Institute Director Professor Liam Kennedy and brought together three speakers, Professor Melissa Deckman, Professor Sherry Linkon and Professor Diane Negra, to discuss potential consequences for American women following this November’s election.
The discussion began with a glance into the past, specifically Donald Trump’s election in 2016. Professor Deckman’s focus was on the election’s effects on female activism over the last four years and how, in turn, this activism will then have an impact on today’s election. Since Trump’s election women have learnt to ‘”navigate local politics” as a reaction to issues such as gun violence, climate change and the BLM movement. It is Gen Z women who are at the forefront today as young women are more engaged than young men. The failures of the Trump administration ignited an angry response which acted as the driving force of women’s increased activism. Furthermore, the past few years has given rise to new role models in Congress, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As a result, there will be a record level of young women voting this year.
The discourse then shifted to Professor Linkon who spoke about the role of class in women’s political mobilities and identities and how their roles have been impacted by the pandemic, and the political implications of this. Even before the pandemic, women made up the majority of the working class as they held low-wage service jobs. A lot of these women are essential workers putting their lives at risk. Thus, for working class women the pandemic has only exacerbated what was already a bad economic situation. While the pandemic also affected middle class women as they were forced to leave the workforce at a greater rate than men, it is important to differentiate between the two classes. Middle class women usually have the luxury of not worrying about basic aspects of everyday life. Consequently, they have more time to form a political opinion and vote. It is this group’s vote which Trump is after. This is not the case for working class women. For them job loss means not being able to afford basics, such as food. Subsequently, the working class are less likely to vote as they are not sheltered by job security and access to healthcare.
On the topic of healthcare, Professor Deckman noted that older women, regardless of their race and class, care more than men about healthcare. Trump is likely to lose support from these women because of his carelessness towards healthcare. Professor Negra commented that, “There is a massive appetite for change in American life.”
Following this, Professor Negra discussed conservative forms of post-feminism in relation to the Trump administration. In the US female-fronted anti-feminism is on the rise despite figures such as Ivanka Trump and Amy Coney Barrett being key figures of the Trump administration. Professor Deckman mentioned that conservative women’s opinions are mixed when it comes to feminism. For some feminism is too tied-up to abortion. For others who are more libertarian, they feel that feminism is too paternalistic. Subsequently, a key element of the post-Trump recovery will be the re-establishment of meaningful female authority figures. The choice of Kamala Harris as VP candidate is not accidental at all. She is the middle ground of progressive and conservative, appealing to both sides. Professor Linkon agreed that the choice of Kamala Harris targets a “sweet spot between the progressive wing of the Democratic party and the … conservative wing of the Democratic party.”
The Supreme Court became the focal point as, according to Professor Deckman, Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment as justice seems inevitable. With a conservative majority the issues of healthcare, climate change and abortion will be challenged. As the speakers looked towards the near future Professor Linkon said that there must be a reversal of Trump’s damage, with a focus on economy and healthcare. An end to Trump’s presidency is not equivalent to an end to all of America’s problems.
Daria Cornovan is a MA student at UCD Clinton Institute.