Palin, Feminism and New Politics

Unlike Hillary or Michelle, Palin Forces Feminist Revision

Sep 4, 2008

Palin's conservative beliefs combined with her ambitious working mother lifestyle re-ignite discussions about the real definition of feminism.

Unlike Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama, to some Palin is a contradiction in terms: ambitious working mother and right wing conservative. McCain’s unknown veep nominee forces both men and women, conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats to redefine their own definition of women’s rights.

Palin Presents New Shade of Feminism

In this election year maelstrom where a voter's resolve comes via familiar party lines, predictable platform speeches and feel good partisan slogans, Sarah Palin’s mixed bag of staunch pro-life beliefs combined with her successful, high profile political career and growing family of five, has conservatives applauding, traditionalists unsure, and feminists horrified. She has indirectly stirred the proverbial gender pot, re-igniting discussions of true feminist ideals. As a highly successful leader, working mother, member of Feminists for Life, a group who believes in the “strength of women and the potential of human life,” Palin presents as a real conundrum.

Whether one agrees or not with Palin’s views, she indeed told the world who she is without offering a single apology. For now she may simply serve as another example of “choice feminism,” a term coined by lawyer and scholar Linda R. Hirshman, to mean, "a woman could work, stay home, have 10 children or one, marry or stay single." "It all counted as 'feminist' as long as she chose it." Palin’s self-determined version of equality and choice is, in and of itself, a mark of authentic female empowerment.

Republican VP Nominee Makes Old School Feminists CringeAll this Sarah Palin head scratching suggests an emerging political maturity among Americans who will one day define themselves not by a single party platform, but rather a buffet line of issues, ideology and personal beliefs. With Palin showing up as an unflinching conservative with traditional values that don’t “disqualify” her from pursuing a demanding profession outside the home, her image will likely be viewed as a monumental breakthrough to some, and a complete disaster to others.

"Sarah Palin represents a new feminism," suggests talk show host Laura Ingraham, "and there is no bigger threat to the elites in this country than a woman who lives her conservative convictions." Meanwhile woman’s rights activist Gloria Steinem sees nothing remotely feminist-esque about Sarah Palin. “Palin’s value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality,” says Steinem in her September 4th Los Angeles Times op-ed, “Palin: wrong woman, wrong message.” While some will find Palin's mixed bag image unsettling and nearly blasphemous towards hard won ideology, to conservative working mothers, she might be a long awaited sigh of relief.

Equality's Litmus Test: The Only Thing to Fear about Palin, is Palin as Vice President

Palin’s Paradox reveals that whether one is a feminist or traditionalist, liberal or conservative, women’s rights ultimately transcend parties and politics. Equality isn’t measured by what is given to women; it is measured by what women should have had all along. Rights, or one's voluntary abstention from them, should be undetectable across gender. No one should ask why Sarah Palin isn’t home with her kids or why she likes to hunt animals and is pro-life.

Authentic equality and choice feminism simply serve up the options for women and then firmly leaves them on the table. For now Palin's appearance serves as no real threat to any one group, she is merely an interesting candidate, a conservative, an ambitious working mother and a guide post for a new type of undetected feminist.

Yet if she takes office and works to remove the reproductive rights that have long been on the table, Sarah Palin can no longer claim to stand for any form of equality, workplace or otherwise. The rights women fight to keep, as well as the ones they're still trying to level, are inextricably tied to one another. Palin could no longer serve as a conservative version of a modern day feminist. Instead she would forever be known as the revisionist Vice President who carelessly played with the definition of true female empowerment and in the process, failed women, regardless of their particular party line.

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