I don’t know about you, but I kind of hate it when politicians talk about “women’s issues” as if women care only about those, stereotypical, pre-selected items. Sure, we all have passionate beliefs about abortion, birth control and equality — but those are hardly the only things that define how we vote or see the world at large.
Unfortunately, politics usually corners us into these categories and we’re left wondering why our two cents on the economy and foreign policy isn’t just as important as our position on abortion or breastfeeding.
Additionally, those political parties struggle to recognize that many women, from both sides of the aisle, actually agree on things like women being paid fairly for their work according to the type of job they do, supporting workplace and family flexibility, and speaking out against domestic violence and sexual harassment. When it comes to women, we gather more in the middle of the aisle, rather than on one extreme side or the other.
I’m sick of the extremes getting all the hype. I’m sick of one Party supposedly speaking for women, when we come from multiple Parties and value much more than what politicians would have you believe.
That’s why I’m excited today to be part of a new movement called “Empowered Women.” This is an organization for women who want to stand up and tell the world — you can’t put women in a box! We aren’t a monolithic demographic that you can target en masse without distinction. We believe in diversity of opinion, conversation and don’t vote with our ovaries — but our brains.
As part of our manifesto reads:
“We aspire to live a fulfilled life, whatever that means to each of us, and we support women who make different choices than the ones we make.”
I hope you’ll consider checking out Empowered Women and signing on for a different kind of women’s movement — one that doesn’t allow us to be stereotyped or belittled by issue-specific speak. It’s about appreciating those who came before us and paving the way for the next generation. It’s about women helping women, mentoring one another and elevating our priorities beyond the shell politics often shoves us into.