With Hillary Clinton emerging as an early front-runner in the 2016 Democratic primary, the United States may finally join the ranks of nations
which have previously outpaced us with a woman as the top leader, such
as Brazil, Germany, and Argentina.
Despite this, the reality is that we still fall far behind when it
comes to women in political offices. America now ranks 98th in the world for percentages of women
in national legislatures, down from 59th in 1998.
This lack
of gender-parity demands solving, but our current methods are not working. Parties nominate women, for the sake of
nominating women, and then proceed to allow the media to mock them excessively. Take the example of Sarah Palin. She was chosen to be the Vice Presidential
candidate for the GOP ticket in 2008, running alongside John McCain, in an attempt by
the Republican Party to win over more female voters.
The GOP demonstrated a common reality -- gender has become
politicized. Candidates should be
elected because they are qualified, not because they are, or are not, a woman.
Following the selection of Palin, the Republican Party stood on the sidelines
as she was mocked by the media, with even John McCain making comments
suggesting that choosing Palin as his running-mate was a “mistake.” We allowed the media to make a mockery of
Sarah Palin, in part because of her gender.
The
solution to this problem is simple. We
must end the politicization of gender. Vote for a female candidate because she is qualified, not because she
looks better in her pantsuit than her male opponent. The media does not focus heavily on the appearance of male candidates, and
they must stop doing this with women.
Vote for a
female candidate because you support her policies, not because you think we
need more women in office. Gender is not
a political issue, and it should not be treated as one. Underrepresentation of
women in politics is an important issue, and it can be solved, but only when we
stop focusing so heavily on gender and empower qualified female candidates to
run.
With the midterm elections just
around the corner, and talk of the presidential election in 2016 already
started, make the right choice on your ballot. Don’t discriminate due to gender. Don’t choose based on gender, and
understand that being a woman does not define a political career. Maybe, then, women can finally start to break
the glass ceiling that has been holding them back for so long.
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Rebekah Lee
I was lonely. I was miserable. I was in need of sisterhood.
Fast forward to my second semester of college. A bad breakup put me into the mindset that I needed to put myself out there. I needed to develop relationships with people on campus. Through my new boyfriend, I became friends with girls and guys involved in Greek life and realized I had made a huge mistake. I then decided to rush the fall of my sophomore year.
I went through rush as a sophomore and even though it was anxiety inducing and stressful, I still found my home. I met wonderful girls who were on the same journey as me and now we share a Panhellenic bond that beats awkward orientation "ice breakers" any day.
Maybe you're interested in Greek life too. Maybe you're just as confused as I was last year. If you are still a little weary about the idea of Greek life, take a look into some truths about what it is like to be a part of a sorority!
We Learn How To Lead
As a member of a sorority, you are given the opportunity to run for a position in the chapter. This can run anywhere from the president to a small position. Regardless of the duties and actual job of the position, sisters who hold positions can learn a lot about themselves. Most importantly, they learn valuable leadership skills that they will take with them wherever they go in life.
We Have A Financial Obligation
I am not going to lie and say that we don't. But I promise that it's worth it. Contrary to popular belief, we don't buy our friends. Wow. Crazy, right? Our monthly dues go toward important activities such as mixers, socials, formal, semi-formal, and some chapters even use their dues to send sisters to leadership conferences and sisterhood retreats. We pay for our social outlets. And like the cliche goes, "If I had paid for my friends, I surely did not pay enough" Not only do our dues pay for our activities, but it teaches each sister to learn the valuable lesson of controlling her money and paying a monthly bill.
We Like To Eat (Together)
You will never sit alone at lunch ever again. Or at Chick-fil-A. Or Moe's. If there is one thing that we love more than sisterhood, it's food. Sisters who eat together, stay together.
We Support Each Other
Photo by Melissa Askew on UnsplashI know that whenever I need advice, support, or someone to be completely honest with me, I can turn to my sisters. There are times when we seriously mess up in life, but we can always count on our biggest supporters. If a sister calls me in her time of trouble, I am more than willing to step in and help her. We sit and listen to each other freak out about papers and tests. We cheer each other up. We are each other's lifeline, no matter what.
We Aren't Cookie Cutter Versions Of Each Other
This is a common stereotype about sorority women (maybe it's the matching Bid Day shirts). It's not true at all. In fact, we are a diverse group of women with our own talents and abilities. In fact, we strive to promote diversity in almost everything we do. Each of us brings something different to the chapter and it's not all t-shirt ideas. In one big group, sure, we may look all the same, but each girl is different in their own perfect way.
We Still Have Bad Days
Photo by Zhivko Minkov on UnsplashWe are still human and even though we are surrounded by women who love and support us, we still break. Joining a sorority is not a cure-all for every problem we may face in life. You as a rushee may experience a girl who was not being genuine with you during rush because she's had a tough week. Or maybe we did not stop to say hi to you on our way to class because we just failed a test. We have bad days too, but don't let that sway your decision.
We Care About Our Grades
Photo by Kyle Gregory Devaras on UnsplashBelieve it or not, grades are a very important part of being in a sorority. We are in college to get an education, after all, and our chapters respect this. All Greek Letter organizations have a GPA requirement and though they may differ from one to another, it is strongly enforced. Most chapters have study hours that they are required to attend in order to keep their sisters in their studies.
We Have Families And It's Confusing, But Wonderful
There comes a time in every new member's life that they find out who her big sister is. It's one of the best days of her life. But soon after she falls in love with her big, she discovers that she has a twin, an aunt, a great-aunt, a grand-big, a cousin, etc. You have your immediate family (your big, twin, g-big), but then you find out it goes back for ages and it can be really overwhelming. As hard as it is to explain how Greek families work, it's best to just enjoy what is given to you. These are the people who you have another awesome bond with and will always be down for anything with you.
We Like To Have Fun
Photo by Jed Villejo on UnsplashWith all the stress of school, work, mandatory events, and late night studying we like to let loose a little. Whether it be a Gossip Girl marathon, a social, or just painting the town red, we like to have fun and we are pretty darn good at it. There is no better entourage than that of your sista friends!
We Genuinely Love Our Sisters
Photo by Olena Bohovyk on UnsplashI am about to get really cheesy on you but bear with me here. We do not just go around acting like we love our sisters because we wear the same letters on our chests. We don't "pretend" to love the girls we don't get along with because deep down, they are still our sisters.
The bond that we share through sisterhood is a bond that cannot be explained from the outside looking in or the inside looking out. I would go above and beyond for my sisters and they would do the same for me. Even when drama shows up, we can always look back to what holds us together as a chapter. That is what it is all about.
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