Women’s Support for Clinton Rises in Wake of Perceived Sexism - New York Times

Women’s Support for Clinton Rises in Wake of Perceived Sexism - New York Times:

"Younger women, however, may look at Mrs. Clinton differently. In Iowa and New Hampshire, Democratic women split by age, with the older ones voting overwhelmingly for Mrs. Clinton, the younger ones for Mr. Obama.

In interviews, some Democratic women over 40, who said they had experienced stinging sexism at school and in the workplace, seemed to long for the election of a female president — they said Mrs. Clinton would fill the role just fine — as a grand moment of validation. But younger women, who have grown up in a world of greater parity, seemed less likely to allow gender to influence their vote."

GAH. Is that to say that young female Democrats, by NOT allowing gender to influence their vote are clearly voting for the better candidate? Is that meant to imply that older women have views so clouded by past injustices that they can't choose the better candidate?

What if, JUST WHAT IF, an older voter felt more comfortable with a more seasoned candidate while a younger voter feels like a fresher face might be worth a shot? Not just older women vs younger women, but voters in general? Unfortunately, I only have anecdotal evidence to prove it when the commentators say Obama will carry counties with college towns and a young population. I don't have the raw statistics because everyone seems to want to shove WOMEN'S VOTE down my throat.

Yes, women's experiences are different from those of men, and a woman as president may make choices differently. But people are complex, and gender is just one facet of any person's identity. We're different, therefore equal.

Thanks to Shelece for alerting me to feministing.com and their coverage of the campaign. I would have missed it because I had stopped reading it for a while when they said some more radical feminist things that enraged me. For example, today they said in a piece about teen pregnancy "You know, because a month off and some day care makes having a kid at 16 SO appealing." That puts on a specific feminist-values mask that says teenage pregnancy is an absolute no-no, but in some girl's eyes it might be a pathway to legitimacy and adult status. Especially when other pathways to adult status like college are closed to them. A good book that mentioned this was Julie Bettie's Women without Class.