DOOL Discussion Group -- Now Here's a Question...As a Woman...

DOOL Discussion Group

Topic: Now Here's a Question...As a Woman...

Topic Posted by: ML
Date Posted: Fri Aug 29 12:53:16 2008
Additional Comments:

...would you have problems voting for a woman?

Seems like a stupid question, right? I don't think it is. I believe some women are more comfortable with voting for a man for whatever reason. I'd be interested in the answer to this question.

As for me...I'm comfortable with voting for people who share my belief system. I don't care about gender, race, religion, or anything else. Vision is vision.

And, as much as I usually am against anon posts, please feel free to post anonymously on this one. I think it's important question.

PS...Martimmy, Mitch, and any other guy, I'm interested in your takes, too, of course...

Posted by: emmy
Date posted: Sun Aug 31 11:21:05 2008
Message:

The other night we were talking about this at my birthday party. I actually heard another woman say (well, she said it to me), "What kind of mother is she, to accept this nomination?" As in, she'll be too busy for her kids and so forth.

I just went, "WHAT?!" This came from a liberal who proudly announces to anyone who will listen, that she's had two abortions. You'd think she'd be all for women's equality. But no. She thinks a woman with children should not be VP. I told her plenty of MEN who have children have been VP, and presumably if they were busy then their wives assumed more responsibility and they worked it out. I'm guessing the same will be true of Sarah Palin's husband, if she and McCain are elected.

I just couldn't believe I was hearing that come out of another woman's mouth. I think it's jealousy, honestly. A lot of women can't stand to see another woman have it all - a successful career AND a family.

As for me, I wasn't planning to vote. I probably will now. Sarah Palin is relevant to me. If McCain had picked some other old guy, I wouldn't have cared enough to notice. But a woman, a mother who probably has a lot of the same concerns as I do (she has a child with Down Syndrome) - that's a candidate who interests me. I'd love to see a woman VP.

Replies: (list all replies)

ITA, with the other woman, Emmy. Her youngest child is not even a year old and has Down's Syndrome. Yes, a father can and should take on more responsibility, but a momma should really be present....and I can guarantee she will not be present in any of her children's lives for the next two months. cgem eom

Posted by: Mitch
Date posted: Sat Aug 30 16:41:07 2008
Message:

(Shhhh! I'm supposed to be working but was just passing by, on my break, when I saw this topic.)

I'd vote for a woman. But then women were always the stronger of the two genders in my extended family.

I can see where some women would not vote for another woman, based on internalized misogyny. My experience and observation says this is more common than thought.

Posted by: cgeminime2
Date posted: Sat Aug 30 1:12:12 2008
Message:
Here I come.....Nope, I absolutely would not vote for a woman. JMO, but, I think it would be seen as a sign of weakness by other countries. I, personally, do not think it is a sign of weakness....but ya know?

Replies: (list all replies)

Now, that's interesting. But Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the UK, as Golda Meir was of Israel...eom (ML)

and I think women have run Scotland and Ireland and other countries. (Bonk~

I think it is just different when it comes to the U.S., I can't fully explain, but part of it has to do with the pure hatred that even citizens of other countries have for this country. cgem eom

Posted by: ML
Date posted: Sat Aug 30 0:38:57 2008
Message:

Your responses were what I thought they would be. I'm waiting to see a national poll to this effect...just was curious...

As for the boss thing...I've tended to find men to be better bosses. When I was a boss, I kept that in mind...and I tried to deal with people more like the men I had come across than like the women. It actually worked out well...But I have known women who were good bosses. They tended to be secure people...

Posted by: Mel
Date posted: Sat Aug 30 0:07:55 2008
Message:
It's always been about the individual, not the gender, race, religion (or lack of). Integrity and competence are crucial. So is a sense of humor, especially about themselves.

Posted by: patch
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 22:28:21 2008
Message:
I will gladly vote for *anyone* whose views I agree with regardless of their color, religion, height, weight, gender, disability status, etc. All that matters to me is their position on the issues.

Posted by: Carissa
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 20:29:35 2008
Message:

Absolutely not. I would have no problem voting for a person of any race, sexual orientation, gender, or religion IF I agreed with the majority of the views of the aforesaid person.

Here is something I found very interesting, and somewhat entertaining, in a pitiful way: The Democrats in my home state, Oklahoma, voted overwhelmingly for Hilary in the Democratic Primary.

That wouldn't be funny, unless you lived here. Hillary is one of the most hated individuals among voters of both parties in this state. Bill is generally loved or at least well-liked, but Hillary? No. Bitch on two feet is the prevailing opinion.

Yet evidently the Democratic voters of this state would much rather have a woman they despise as president, as compared with a BLACK individual of any gender. Even though he is only half African American; that is more than enough to prevent him from ever being elected by the crackers in Oklahoma, especially those in rural areas.

Sad, yet amusing too. So much for the 'diversity' of candidates in this state. White men rule here...will be interesting to see if this same electorate will be willing to vote for a white woman, as long as she is just going to be the VP. My guess is that they will do so in large numbers...racism trumps sexism in this case.

Posted by: carmen
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 19:48:23 2008
Message:
i have no problem voting for a PERSON who, like you, shares what i am looking for for our country, be it man or woman. mccain picking this young lady worries me because she does not have the background at all to take on this country. face it, mccain is NOT in the best of health, he's old and if he goes 2 terms, he'll be really old. i am not comfortable leaving it in her hands of something were to happen to him.

Posted by: Catrin
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 19:04:41 2008
Message:

It is not a stupid question at all. I'm always interested in the reasons why people will or will not vote for someone based on gender, race, or religion. Not that I do, and IMO gets us off track of the big picture.

Having said that, I will say as a woman, I confess in my younger career I had a male administrator who made immediate and decisive commands and ran a tight ship. After he retired, 2 women took over at different times; they were weak leaders, made decisions based on emotions, and created chaos. I realize that situation was small scale and has no bearing on choosing a president but it did stick in my mind initially. I had no problem voting for a woman in this recent primary and did, because it was based on the issues I care about and my perception of ability. I'll base my vote on the same in November.

Replies: (list all replies)

Many studies have shown that according to their employees, women make worse bosses than men. I've read articles in several business magazines attesting to this. Women tend to expect more of their employees than men do. But then, women tend to expect more of themselves than men do, as well. And as a female boss, I can tell you that supervison of strong personalities, both male and female, are difficult for me.~Carissa

It was so difficult for me too when I was a manager. I learned leadership skills from the male boss and it was 'old school values' . As a woman, I felt I was perceived as a 'b!tch' by a few, both male and female, whom I supervised. Some thought they could get by with stuff without the 'big boss' being there. I stood by policy and treated everyone fairly but impartially ,and I enforced the rules and work ethic. But it was tough!/Catrin

Posted by: auntie en
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 18:44:20 2008
Message:
It depends on the woman. I can honestly say there are a lot of women who get on my nerves and make nearly all their decisions based on emotions. I think men tend to be more decisive in some cases and use more logic to make decisions. I know this sounds stereotypical and anti-feminist, but in my experience I have found that to be the case. Since a president isn't in a vacuum and has advisors, etc, it probably wouldn't be an issue. But I would look at their record and would want to see consistent strengths in areas that are important to me.

Replies: (list all replies)

My favorite male boss story to tell is the one where hubbyP had this HORRIBLE male boss. The reason, his gay partner had a crush on hubbyP. So, he treated my husband terrible. HubbyP finally left that place 3 years ago. Men can be bad too, but I know what you mean :-) Lisa P

I have never liked having a woman for a boss. I don't know if I have just had bad experiences, but I have never had a good female boss, and when Dave got laid off this summer, it was his irrational female supervisor that ran things so poorly it resulted in him losing his job. She is a horrible manager and i don't understand how people like that get in positions of authority. ae

You know, I'm not too sure about the women being more emotional thing ... I suspect that the average man is just as influenced by emotion as the average woman, but *different* emotions. I think that's the key. If a woman gets her feelings hurt, it's called being ''emotional'', but if a man does something out of pride or anger, no one says he's ''just being emotional'' ... but he is. But anyway, I've had a variety of managers, both male and female, and I haven't noticed a trend so far. The worst is definitely my current one, and she's a woman, but her predecessor was female as well, and one of the best. The big difference is that this one doesn't seem to actually care about anyone but herself ... definitely a trait that men and women can both have. eom--RK

Posted by: sandy
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 18:42:05 2008
Message:
If a woman is qualified you bet I would vote for her. That is the reason I voted for Hillary in the primary. But to vote just because it's a woman, no. And I will add, years ago when I started going to a woman doctor I now go when I am supposed to go. Many male doctors don't take us seriously and I used to put off going for years!

Posted by: misspm
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 18:35:49 2008
Message:
I have no proble voting for a woman. if I see that I can trust in leadership (my same criteria for voting for a man BTW), and Like you I vote for people who best share my belief system (views on the issues etc.)

Posted by: Nichol
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 17:33:51 2008
Message:

No problem for a woman.

Replies: (list all replies)

Let's try that again.....I have no problem VOTING for a woman......eom/Nichol

Posted by: Kat
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 16:15:26 2008
Message:
We need the male point of view! I doubt you'll get a negative from fellow females! I have no problem unless she is young and inexperienced. But, you should be posting this on a male oriented political discussion board. I'm pretty darn sure my father and even my MIL(both in their 80's) wouldn't vote for a woman. As far as female politicians go - Condi Rice is my fave. And I would have MUCH rather had Hillary in the WH than Barack Obama. Not that I like her, mind you. So...it all depends for me.

Posted by: Mandy
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 15:43:20 2008
Message:
Nope.

Posted by: Nicki
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 15:04:38 2008
Message:
As long as she is qualified! of course!

Posted by: Anne
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 14:45:52 2008
Message:

I have no problem whatsoever. I was so excited about Hilary. What a huge step for women. There are many who feel threatened though. It still is a good ol' boy country.

I also know WOMEN who refuse to go to a woman doctor. I refuse to go to a male OB/GYN. I'm sure there are many well qualified men, but I wouldn't go to a mechanic who never drove a car!! LOL!

Replies: (list all replies)

I can't imagine going to a male OB/GYN. Not because I don't think they can be qualified, though your point is valid as well, but I do not want a man I am not married to seeing that stuff! I'm surprised at how many women don't mind male OB/GYNs. I mean, I understand that they are professionals, and I know sometimes you may not have a choice (for example, if the OB on call when you're in labor is a male), but for my yearly visits, I wouldn't choose a male if a qualified female was available. eom--RK

Posted by: SuzyB
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 14:23:21 2008
Message:
I'd have no problem voting for a woman so long as she is qualified for the job.

Posted by: SusieB
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 13:51:05 2008
Message:
I have no problem voting for a qualified woman.

Replies: (list all replies)

I'll tag here. Tina

Posted by: Jennifer
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 13:45:49 2008
Message:
Absolutely I'd vote for a woman, although of course not solely based on that. I know there are a lot of women, particularly older women, who are very sexist toward their own sex, and it's a shame. You're probably right that a lot of women would not vote for a woman based on that fact alone.

Posted by: Cecilia
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 13:23:32 2008
Message:

I've always avoided politics. From a young age, I learned to steer clear after seeing how volatile a subject it can be. To me, I often saw otherwise kind and reasonable people sound so narrow minded and critical while discussing politics. Also, based on the little that I did know, I never felt that I fit into any category. However, this year I decided that as an American I should know enough to cast an informed vote. I've been doing my research, reading about the parties' beliefs in general and the candidates' specific beliefs. I'm still far from being informed enough, but I'm slowly getting there. I have two long months to get to where I want to be.

That said, I will cast my vote based on who I think shares my beliefs most closely. Period. I don't care who they are; I don't care about party, race, religion, or gender.

Posted by: ingyandbert
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 13:20:46 2008
Message:
I'm with LisaP (''Are you kidding?'' LOL!). Anyone who lets gender stop them from voting for someone whom they would vote for otherwise is seriously lacking in common sense.

Posted by: Boo
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 13:01:01 2008
Message:
I vote for an individual who is strong. One who through experience has proved himself. One who has the beliefs that I have. Gender and race do not make the decision for me.

Posted by: Lisa P
Date posted: Fri Aug 29 12:55:18 2008
Message:
Are you kidding? I'd have NO problem voting for a woman. I would have voted for Hillary in a heartbeat.
Granted, I know where you are coming from. My aunt before she died would not go to a woman doctor. She thought hubbyP and I were weird because our doctor is a woman. She thought male doctor knew more. I just let that one go :-))