One of the problems with the US political system is the low voter participation. For the past several election the turnout rate has been unusually low. The reasons for not voting among individuals vary from not having an appropriate candidate, or simply feeling like our votes don’t count. However, one of the most important reason accounting for low turn out are the strict voter identification laws. Ironically, there hasn’t been any evidence that there is a large number of people who attempted an in-person freud. Moreover, most of the reported in-person freud turned out be a mistake rather than intentional act.
Historically, African-Americans and other minorities have been underrepresented in the polls. In many cases, people can’t afford getting
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This phenomenon can be explained with feminist theories which focuses on inequality of power between men and women in terms of unequal distribution of political power. The best example of this inequality are numbers that speak for themselves. The US has never had a women president in the history, and even though women comprise majority of U.S population, their number in political offices are significantly lower than men. The reason behind underrepresentation of women in politics lies in the notion that women are not strong enough to hold a powerful position. Because of women 's underrepresentation a lot of men’s issues and policies are over-emphasized, while women’s concerns remain unattended. However, women’s concerns and policies often don’t just affect women, but the entire families. For instance, the issue of child care or maternal leave. In many families, one parent (in most cases women) is forced to leave the job and take care of a child due to the lack of childcare, or very short maternal leave. Strengthening women’s right and addressing barriers to political participation are critical to achieving gender equality and women empowerment. I believe that the issue of low number of women in politics is just a fragment of a much larger issue of inequality relating to political, economic, and social status. Some of the solutions to the problem include increasing women participation and leadership in civil society by providing skill building and leadership training for women. Women should join activists groups advocating for women’s right and equality on many different platforms. Equal pay, equal access to certain job positions would also facilitate equality that would increase the number of women in political positions. Most importantly, more women should vote since we create the majority of US population, and if women unite and vote they will have a
The United States national elections have been experiencing a steady decline of eligible voters showing up to vote. This steady decline has been ongoing since experiencing a significant increase in voter turnout from 1948 through 1960. Over the years there has been significant, meticulous research done to try to pinpoint the cause of the decline in voter turnout over years. All of this research has led to the production of an enormous number of literatures written on the perceived causes. The vast amount of literature produced has led to a number of competing explanations about this decline. The quest for the answer to the question of, why this decline in voter turnout, is very important for an overwhelming majority of Americans and our democratic system because the people/voters can only truly be represented by our government if all eligible voters go out and vote. For this paper I will examine four theories that attempt to explain the decline. The four theories that I will discuss are voting barriers, campaign contributions, negative campaign advertising, and finally the cultural explanation. However, through thorough exploration and critiques of the strengths and weaknesses of these four theories, we will find that the cultural explanation theory is currently the most persuasive theory in the group. Finally, I will also explore some reasons as to why citizens do vote as well.
Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.
Across the globe, women are starting to gain more political power and are able to have other jobs and rights, but this was only achieved recently, as women have always been second best. To start with, women were technically considered “slaves” or just above the standards of a slave. The main purpose of a woman was to cook, clean, raise a family, and to have sex or sometimes be raped, to please a mans needs. In Greece, they were seen as an object or property of a man, and were not given full rights, and in America, women were just given “all” rights not even fifty years ago. Plus, for women in power today or those who want to be, it’s still challenging to have the people vote for them, as people think that it’s different from the norm to vote for a female than a male. During the 2008 presidential election, Hillary Clinton ran against Barack Obama for the Democratic Party nomination, and it seemed that the country was more ready for the possibility of a bla...
This was backed up with the Princeton study that shows that women in the science field made 14% of the total faculty in their workplaces and one out of four reported their male colleagues occasionally engaged in unprofessional conduct focusing on gender issues (Quindlen paragraph 11). Similar things occur to women in politics. In Men Rule, it is stated that “When women run for office – regardless of the position they seek – they are just as likely as their male counterparts to win their races”(Lawless and Fox 2). This proves that women have the potential to succeed in politics, but raises the question of why it is that women are still underrepresented in politics. Studies in Men Rule shows that “gender gaps in political recruitment and perceptions of qualifications continue to hinder women’s interest in running for office just as much now as a decade ago”; and although women’s interest in politics have increased over time, men still run the show when it should be controlled equally (Lawless and Fox 16). This is why feminism is needed, through feminism women can be sufficiently represented in all areas of the
The American Government was designed to represent the people who are voting members of society. When analyzing the makeup of government, one could find that women have become an integral part to American politics. With the rise of female politicians, minority female political leaders still tend to come in low numbers. One could argue that the inclusion of minority females in politics is solely up to women. The responsibility of representing the American population as a whole should not be solely placed on one designated person or group but rather a collective effort of all. Minority females are typically seen at the negative end of statistics rather it is in education, health care, employment and the economy.
The U.S. is not known for high voter turnout. Consistently, the United States has fallen short in comparison to other “well-established democracies” (Fair Vote). United States has one of the lowest
“Voter ID laws require individuals to show government-endorsed identification when casting their ballots on Election Day” (Wilson and Brewer). Many people see these laws as necessary to prevent voting fraud, others argue that fraud is extremely rare and that voter ID laws can suppress voting. Voter fraud undermines public confidence in democracy, and that's why we need, whether you are a Democr...
However, the female participation in politics is a staggeringly low number, thus in the Global Gender Gap report of 2016, it ranked Canada 35 out of 144 countries (Forum,2016). Having Canadian women more involved in politics ensures that different perspectives and opinions are represented where it matters the most, in the government that organizes and creates all the legislations. Policies such as abortion rights should not be determined by men, but by women who can relate to or understand the grounds of the rights. The barriers that women face can easily be diminished with effort. The media can do its part and treat female politicians like they treat their male counterparts, based on their proposed policies and not by what they may be wearing at the time. Families and society itself need to drop the “traditional family” model and realize that modern families share responsibilities so that both parents can strive in their respected careers. Lastly women themselves need to be reminded that if they have the right qualifications, they could go as far as they want, specifically in politics. By becoming a politician, they could still be a good wife and/or mother, but their self-perception needs to be improved by those around them who need to encourage them. Female politicians would be beneficial for everyone in a community, as the standard of who can lead a country changes and people realize that women are capable and qualified as
As Beyoncé would say, girls run the world. However, that has not always been the case. Women in America were finally granted the right of suffrage in 1920. This means that it has been less than 100 years since women have been able to vote. Even more so, women were still not treated equally among society. They were not given equal pay for equal work until the 1960s. Over in France, Simone De Beauvoir was deciding that women have never been in control. However, studies have shown that women in politics are a benefit to any party involved. They are better negotiators and they are good role models for young girls. Women are great at the negotiating table, but the fact of the matter is that they have not had enough opportunities. “Since the founding of the country, only 2% of members of congress have been women. According to
One major factor in why women did not reach equality in America in the past century was their underrepresentation in local, state, and federal politics. Between 1917, when Jeanette Rankin became the first woman to serve in the United States Congress, and 2000, only 219 women have been elected as US representatives or senators. Of these, only 28 have been women of color. In contrast, in the 20th century over a thousand men served in Congress, and 132 men of color. In the 106th United States Congress (which met from 1999-2001) only 58 of the 535 legislators were women, and only 18 were women of color. As a result, laws that benefitted women faced heavy opposition before they could be passed. In addition, women made up the minority of Supreme Court justices and presidential cabinet members at every point in the 20th century, and of the 15 presidents...
The right to vote is one of the most highly esteemed freedoms available to citizens in a democracy. For decades, political scientists have deliberated why so many Americans choose not to exercise their right to vote and to take part in the democratic process. Americans in cities, in particular, vote overwhelmingly less than they do in suburban and rural areas. While political scientists have often explained lower voter turnout as a consequence of a lack of education, low income, age, declining trust in government, and uncompetitive elections, only a few have studied the time costs associated with voting (Baretto, 445; Haspel and Knotts, 561). Even though fifty years have passed since the Voting Rights Act enfranchised marginalized citizens across America, the costs associated with voting continually prevent equal access to the ballot. One substantial cost for voting is a citizen’s ability to
Gender roles are not neutral ways of meeting society’s needs but are part of the larger system of power and domination. The division of labor and power between women and men brought about by the industrial revolution caused division of labor that spilled over into politics bringing an aspect of functionalism where women are considered to have great influence in roles played. Many women have successful careers in politics because they strongly overcome these barriers and must get beyond discrimination in order to succeed. Gender inequality become inbuilt into the very fabric of our society and the mindset has to change before the situation will. There have been steps in the right direction but more has to be done to convince the power elite that a woman can be an effective President of the United
As the social system behaves parsimonious to the female group, the gender discrimination distinguished prominently. To be more specific, for the political participation in the United States, according to the report, eighteen percent of congressional seats are held by female and twenty- three of statewide elective offices are held by female officers, which has decreased from the report of 2001. As the "sociological and societal norm discourages women from running", women act less active in political leadership and activities. More commonly, in different workplace employment, since women are less likely to receive levels of appointments and offer of academic positions, it's harder for women to receive a job offer with the comparison to equally qualified male. By contrast, many argue that American female citizens entitle equal rights as the male citizens, which strongly certify that the equal treatment toward genders. However, practically, with regards of the payment gap in the United States, the payment that women earned are nineteen percent less than the male employees. Caused by the replacement of larger percentages of both high-paying and low-paying jobs , the wage inequality kept increasing since 1980s. As the unfair results in education, careers, and politics, women earn less opportunities under the
It is well known by most people that women have always been a step behind in society compared to men. They aren’t behind intellectually, but they are politically. Women have been looked down to as if they are not equal and I believe it was originally due to their physical capabilities compared to men. Men have been able to force their way to the top of the political food chain, resulting in women staying on the bottom. Men have dominated society for thousands of years and many would still claim their control remains intact. In the United States for much of its history women unable to vote. They were known as a lesser class compared to white men and mostly worked as housewives. They showed their growing power in the early 1900’s through boycotts and strikes leading to substantial economic losses to the companies they worked for. Today, women in the
Throughout this essay it will be discussed how female representations affects society, what has changed, if has changed during the years. Representations of women were a crucial subject of discussion especially in the concepts of the gaze that often refers to women as objects of the active gaze. The gaze establishes relationships of power, representing different codes such as dominance and subjugation, difference and otherness (Sturken and Cartwright 2009: 111).