This year has been monumental for the visibility of women’s
rights activists, especially with the presidential candidates having such opposing
views on nearly every issue. Women all over the country have declared that they
will stand up and fight against the “War on Women,” refusing to stand down and
have their rights denied.
But with all the publicity over abortion rights, Planned
Parenthood, birth control, equal pay, rape, and a slew of other issues, people
have made some ridiculously false (yet long-lasting) insinuations about women’s
voting habits.
One rumor suggested that women are, in general, much more in
favor of abortion rights than men are. Yet, looking at statistics provided by
Gallup in 2011, 59% of men and 56% of women said they thought abortion should
be illegal in all cases, or all cases but a select few. However, more women do
tend to vote for a candidate only if they share their views on abortion (around
38%), and many have said that the candidate’s view on birth control and Planned
Parenthood funding is also important to them.
Another myth is that the “War on Women” is the reason for
the gender gap. Actually, women have consistently voted for Democrats in higher
proportions than men for the last thirty years. It’s not specific to this
election and these candidates; women have just traditionally felt that
Democrats are more in line with women’s issues.
It’s also been said that women vote like they date, or in
other words—they vote for the candidate who will make them feel safe, who is
strong and clear, kind and protective. Yet that insinuation easily falls flat
when we consider that women often date males who have a higher status and
personal wealth—and if that were the case, Romney would win by a landslide.
And that’s not to mention the recent CNN article that
insinuated women’s hormones would be voting for them come Election Day. It’s
sad, that after so long, such old-fashioned, sexist views are still being
spread and believed by so many.
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