Worst of 2011

By Karyn Bruggeman on 12/23/2011 @ 11:35 AM

Tags: Why Women, Choice, Reproductive Rights, Sexism

2011 took us for quite a ride. After all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, we've put together a list of the five best and worst moments for women in 2011; a brief list of the women, the movements, and the moments that have inspired and heartened us this year, as well as those that have been less than inspiring-- to put it lightly.

Grover Norquist Doesn’t Think Women Do Budgets

By Sarah Burris on 08/18/2011 @ 12:02 PM

Tags: Patty Murray, Sexism

Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist attacked Senator Patty Murray in a NYTimes piece today on the Debt Committee.

Honking for Saudi women, in a car and online

By Traci Snyder on 06/21/2011 @ 10:40 AM

Tags: Women's rights, Feminism, Sexism

Saudi women, who are banned from driving automobiles, ventured out on real and virtual streets last Friday to fight for this right that women in America enjoy every day. Inspired by the May imprisonment of activist Manal Al Sharif for posting videos of herself driving, Saudi women took to the street and to Twitter in support of the cause.

A vile ad against Janice Hahn – and why we must fight back

By Jonathan Parker on 06/15/2011 @ 10:00 AM

Tags: GOP Opponents, Sexism

With less than a month until election day, EMILY's List candidate Janice Hahn is under attack -- and it's the most offensive, racist, sexist ad I've seen in all my years in politics. The ad, which supports tea partier Craig Huey, is so demeaning that we couldn’t share it with you.

Steve King: sure, I’ll debate – the candidate’s husband, that is

By Lisa McIntire on 04/28/2011 @ 02:21 PM

Tags: Are You Kidding Me!?, Christie Vilsack, Sexism, Women leaders

Well, here we go: you know campaign season has truly started once the backwards, sexist comments start coming out of GOP candidates’ mouths. Congratulations to Cong. Steve King for kicking things off with a bang!

Kathy Hochul on equal pay

By Lisa McIntire on 04/22/2011 @ 10:30 AM

Tags: Sexism, Kathy Hochul, Women's rights

Earlier this month congressional candidate Kathy Hochul renewed her dedication to passing legislation to address this iniquity that faces not only women but short-changes their families as well. She spoke about her personal reasons for being invested in the national issue of equal pay.

Equal Pay Day: It's about time

By Elizabeth Arzt on 04/12/2011 @ 09:50 AM

Tags: Sexism, Women's rights, Feminism

April 12th is Equal Pay Day, when we call attention to how women continue to struggle to be treated fairly in the workplace. Equal pay doesn’t stop at being paid the same as men for the same work: it is also about securing proper retirement funds, sufficient health benefits, and equal opportunities for promotion. We are so proud that EMILY’s List alum Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro is reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

On Kathleen Parker and making lousy arguments

By Lisa McIntire on 03/07/2011 @ 05:00 PM

Tags: Sexism, Why women, Women leaders

I’m glad Parker is supporting women in the Middle East who are politically active and trying to improve their societies – but just a suggestion: if next time you want to save on some air fare, then try watching some of the women EMILY’s List has help elect to the House and Congress.

Rush and the First Lady: Why talk policy when you can just call her fat?

By Lisa McIntire on 02/24/2011 @ 12:45 PM

Tags: Sexism, Michelle Obama, Women leaders

But why actually discuss the policy, its merits or downsides, when you can simply insinuate that the proponent -- in this case, Michelle Obama -- is fat? Why talk about your opposition when you can just make patently offensive statements like Rush did, including "it doesn’t look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice"?

Jennifer Siebel Newsom on women in power & the media

By Lisa McIntire on 02/18/2011 @ 01:50 PM

Tags: Sexism, Women leaders, Why Women, Amy Klobuchar, Barbara Mikulski, Dianne Feinstein

At the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College last week, I was thrilled to watch the compelling new documentary called "Miss Representation," which addresses the many problems of our media's portrayals of women, including women in leadership. I had the chance to speak with Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who wrote and directed the film.

The Celluloid Ceiling: the need for gender parity in Hollywood

By Lisa McIntire on 02/11/2011 @ 04:50 PM

Tags: Why Women, Women leaders, Sexism

Minnesota GOP wants to end pay equity for women

By Jamie Haynes on 02/08/2011 @ 05:20 PM

Tags: Women's rights, GOP Opponents, Sexism

Under the guise of fiscal responsibility, Republican state lawmakers in Minnesota have introduced an appalling measure that will repeal the Local Government Pay Equity Act. Despite the fact that women continue to earn significantly less than their male counterparts, Republicans want to do away with the LGPEA which ensures pay equality for all female public employees.

Top 5 most sexist moments in politics of 2010

By Lisa McIntire on 12/31/2010 @ 05:00 PM

Tags: Sexism, 2010 Election, Hillary Clinton, Kirsten Gillibrand, Betty Sutton, Roxanne Conlin, Sarah Palin

Before we break out the bubbly to celebrate New Year's, it's time to take a look back at some Hall of Shame moments of the last year. In what was supposed to be another "Year of the Woman," we actually faced some pretty appalling, backwards behavior in the political arena -- but more importantly, we saw some powerful responses from the women who were on the receiving end of talk that should've died out in 1911. In no particular order, we present our top 5 sexist moments of 2010:

Happy holidays, child brides! The GOP says no protection for you

By Lisa McIntire on 12/20/2010 @ 01:20 PM

Tags: Women's rights, GOP Opponents, Boehner's Boys, Sexism

Here’s a little holiday tale to make you sick to your stomach: the Child Marriage Protection Act, sponsored by EMILY’s List alum Cong. Betty McCollum (D-MN) and passed in the Senate with no objection, was killed in the House by Republicans. Clearly, it must’ve been the spirit of the season that moved them to object to a bill that would help protect young girls across the globe from being coerced into child marriages – or was it just a total canard that led Speaker-designate Boehner and others to stick a fork in a bill that would work to reduce sexual abuse, violence, and slavery?

Study: sexist undertone in recommendation letters hurts women

By Nicole Tatz on 12/14/2010 @ 10:45 AM

Tags: Sexism, Women's Rights

After the entire GOP caucus blocked a vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act last month, we thought women had weathered the worst. But it turns out that the gender gap goes well beyond discriminatory legislative and employment practices. Progressive blogger Echidne highlights a new study which finds that sexist language in recommendation letters puts female job applicants at a disadvantage when compared to their male counterparts.

It’s the double-standard, stupid: why Boehner’s tears matter

By Lisa McIntire on 12/13/2010 @ 04:15 PM

Tags: GOP Opponents, Boehner's Boys, Sexism

Speaker-designate John Boehner’s tearful interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes will likely be the fodder of Saturday Night Live sketches and late night monologues – fair enough, but there’s a lot more going on here that needs to be discussed.

Surprise! Sexism before, during, and after the campaign trail

By Lisa McIntire on 12/09/2010 @ 04:40 PM

Tags: Women leaders, Hillary Clinton, Claire McCaskill, Sexism

It’s enough to waken your inner Howard Beale: the blatant sexism faced by women at every level of politics, during every step of the game. A recent interview with EMILY’s List alum and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while in Kyrgyzstan was a perfect illustration of this – along with an applause-worthy rejoinder by Hillary:

Mrs. Thomas's call to Anita Hill: our call to action

By Jen Bluestein on 10/20/2010 @ 10:27 AM

Tags: Are you kidding me!?, GOP Opponents, Tea Party, Sexism

By now, if you haven’t heard that, almost two decades after the infamous hearings, Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife, Ginni, called Anita Hill and told her to apologize to her husband, you may be the only person in America without a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, or a television.

Hudgens to Georgia women: no mammograms for you!

By Lisa McIntire on 10/06/2010 @ 10:00 AM

Tags: POP, Opponents, Are You Kidding Me!?, Sexism

Georgia insurance commissioner candidate Ralph Hudgens sure is a peach. He's taken the brave position of opposing nearly every preventative medical procedure that helps save women's lives, like Pap smears and mammograms, not to mention maternity coverage and breast reconstruction for cancer survivors. In fact, he doesn't just oppose these measures: he actually sponsored a bill to end the law that mandates coverage of mammograms. Unless we help elect EMILY's List candidate Mary Squires, Georgia women will be faced with this man as their insurance commissioner -- and he certainly won't be working on their behalf.

The gender-based pay gap: the facts ain’t pretty

By Lisa McIntire on 09/29/2010 @ 12:00 PM

Tags: Sexism, Women's rights, Feminism

A recent New York Times editorial made an urgent case for the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act before it’s too late and the measure dies on the vine. The act would help those affected by gender-based discrimination, protect employees who share salary information with co-workers from retaliation, and require employers to prove that differences in wage are based on the job and not the gender of the employee.