Power? Maybe it’s time women take control
I wish this column was going to drop a bombshell that would open eyes, start tongues wagging and open the door to a new conversation.
But it doesn’t.
The idea to write it came about while I was researching material for upcoming columns and waiting for return calls during the holiday week.
I ran across a story about the town of Sprague unveiling what is believed to be the first statue in Connecticut dedicated to a female soldier.
That comes 103 years after Loretta Walsh officially became the first enlisted woman in the Armed Forces.
That is a long time to wait for recognition and that got me thinking: Why are women viewed as good groomers of leaders, but not as leaders themselves?
It is a view that is changing but the question is, why is it taking so long?
The United States of America will turn 244 years old this year and in every year of its existence, the path forward has had a man leading the way.
And this year will be no different as America will celebrate another birthday with a man in charge and men still occupying the majority of the chairs of power in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
That is a strange juxtaposition for a country that is traditionally referred to as “she.”
But there will be a difference this year as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with 101 women in the House and 25 in the Senate, wield their voices to influence policy locally and nationally.
But for centuries, women have always been the backup on the arm and their role has always been as the walkon.
But as I look around the country, and women emerge politically, it seems to me that right now, this nation needs a woman’s touch and it is time to put them in charge.
I don’t make that statement lightly and this is not a column championing any particular female candidate running for office. Politics is politics and I don’t think gender matters once you are in the game and pulling the strings.
I just think at this point in time, women are the Rx containing the right dosage this country needs as malefueled hate, prejudice and greed has the nation offbalance.
It is not that I think women are smarter or more compassionate, or, for that matter, feel any differently than men. But I do think they react and look at things differently, particularly when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of children and families.
While the men in power will cheer a soaring stock market with a toast of cognac, I think women would cheer but also take strong action to ensure those cheers reach dinner tables in the average household.
I also think there would be a greater emphasis to reduce persistent problem areas such as poverty, homelessness, health care, women’s pay and mental health programs.
Already, the newly elected women to Congress, who were surrounded by their children while being swornin, have made issues such as housing, gender equality, paid leave, affordable child care and universal prek as well as universal child care their platforms.
And changes in these areas, I believe, will go a long way in putting this nation back on balance. Too many men appear to be locked in an epic battle for supremacy and have lost the true values that bring this country together and make and keep it strong.
The year 2020 begins with the same social problems as 1920 when the stock market was roaring and the good times rolling for those in the money, while tens of millions scavenged in poverty to make a living.
One historian noted in part that what developed in the 1920s “was a “cultural Civil War” between citydwellers and smalltown residents, Protestants and Catholics, blacks and whites, ‘New Women’ and advocates of oldfashioned family values.” Sound familiar? There have undoubtedly been changes for the better since that time but nearly 40 million people in the U.S. still live in poverty, including more than 16 percent of the nation’s children.
There didn’t seem to be a way forward for the average Jane and Joe Blow in the 1920s and that holds true today. And I think that just serves as a breeding ground for more division that will get worse as men bring scissors to the country’s safety nets.
I think it is time for that to change and I think women will lead the charge to make that change.
In an oped for USAToday, the Dalai Lama wrote: “My mother first gave me the gift of a woman’s compassion. Now, the next generation of women must bring this compassion into positions of power.”
Former SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations Kofi Annan said, “study after study has taught us, there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity or to reduce child and maternal mortality. No other policy is as sure to improve nutrition and promote health, including the prevention of HIV/AIDS. No other policy is as powerful in increasing the chances of education for the next generation.”
Sometimes, it pays to listen.
Do I hear a drumroll for women?
Power? Maybe it’s time women take control. James Walker is a Hearst Connecticut newspaper columnist and the host of the podcast, Real talk, Real people. Listen at https://anchor.fm/realtalkrealpeople. He can be reached at 2036051859 or at realtalkrealpeoplect @gmail.com. @thelieonroars on Twitter