Our Founding and Future Feminists

By Guest Blogger, NWPC Intern Lauren Harding

I am a feminist. After studying feminist literature, participating in the Vagina Monologues, and spending the summer as an intern with the National Women’s Political Caucus, the label does not faze me. The Feminist Majority Foundation reports that 56% of women and an even higher proportion of young women self-identify as feminists, according to a Newsweek/Gallup public opinion poll.  Therefore, I am not alone. Or am I? 

While these numbers are encouraging, the common consensus between most self-proclaimed feminists is that they often feel that they are in the minority. Why do many women still resist the label of feminist?  Perhaps the resistance stems from the stereotypes that cloud the perception of feminism - which I need not reinforce here. Perhaps the resistance to labeling oneself as a feminist lies simply in confusion about the meaning of the word itself. Curious, I called upon our feminist Founding Mothers and current feminists at the National office of the NWPC to answer: What does it mean to be a feminist?

Honoring my mentor, Congresswoman Diane Watson

By Guest Blogger, CA Representative Karen Bass

Hon. Diane Watson and Congresswoman Karen Bass

To many, the former Congresswoman Diane Watson is an inspiration. A leader who has contributed her entire career to enhancing, promoting and elevating the social and economic welfare of those in the City of Los Angeles, she asks us to look at our neighbors and ask ourselves what we can do to actively serve as agents of change. 

To me, she is a mentor. I take my seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 33rd Congressional District of California not as a replacement, but with her at my side. I have many people to thank for believing in and working toward my success in the 2010 mid-term election, but her encouragement and support helped guide my decision to run for the seat when she stepped down.

On Equal Pay Day - Thank you to the Women of Walmart

By Guest Blogger, Avalon Bellos, NWPC Intern

To be paid less is to be valued less. On April 12, 2011, women around the country honor “Equal Pay Day.” Women are still paid less than men for the same positions and with the same skills, and unfortunately there are a number of people that would argue this to be a fact of life. I was recently caught up in a discussion about employment for women, and their lesser pay, with a male supervisor of mine when he proclaimed, “Well, what about maternity leave? Women can’t expect to take a year off of work and be surprised that men on the job have been promoted.”  This statement, and its archaic semblance of logic not only left me confused, but also gave me a glimpse into the world of the 1950’s and a struggle that, in this post second-wave feminist era I thought to be left in the past. It enraged me to think that his statement might match the logic of a number of Americans, and that perhaps that is why the issue of fair pay between the genders has been pushed to the wayside time and time again...and then there was Betty Dukes.