Des Moines Register
12-08-06
Basu: Women in politics still face double standard in Iowa
By REKHA BASU
REGISTER COLUMNIST
Hillary Clinton called Bonnie Campbell this week, looking for "a read on Iowa,"
and got Campbell's pledge of support if she decides to run for president. But a
national political observer thinks Iowa is the kiss of death for a woman seeking
higher office, and that in large part because of that, Clinton could "blow up" in the
primaries.
"I've said it before - there's no tougher state for Clinton to start this quest than
Iowa," Chuck Todd wrote last week in NationalJournal.com, in offering six
reasons Clinton would face an uphill battle getting the Democratic nomination.
"This purple state (which just showed major signs of getting bluer) has never
elected a woman as governor or senator, nor has it even elected a woman to
Congress. The Hawkeye State is full of older voters and blue-collar labor union
members who have appeared hesitant to elect women to executive positions all
throughout the Midwest."
History shows Todd is both right and wrong. Iowans will nominate women for
those offices; we just won't elect them. That sorry fact puts us in the dubious
company of Mississippi - the only other state where women have never held any
of those positions.
Clinton should be OK with Democratic caucus-goers, who have nominated
Roxanne Conlin and Bonnie Campbell to take on Terry Branstad, and at least
seven women for House or Senate seats. Iowa Republicans have nominated a
woman for Congress, but it's been several decades.
Hillary Clinton came in second after John Edwards in an Iowa Poll for the
Democratic nomination, but behind four Republicans in a general match-up.
So what is it about this state? Dianne Bystrom, who tracks this question for a
living, says the states most reluctant to elect women tend to be rural, have older
populations, and religious fundamentalists - and that Iowa fits that bill.
On the plus side for Clinton, says Bystrom, who heads Iowa State University's
Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, young voters in Iowa
have gotten more politically engaged the last few years. And, says Bystrom,
Iowans appreciate "star quality," which Clinton offers.
It's dangerous to over-generalize on this because it can become a self-fulfilling
prophesy. But I think there's something intangible at play here. It's about the
types of women Iowans prefer.
Strong-willed, outspoken women don't do very well in this state. They're regarded
as arrogant know-it-alls. But women who are soft-spoken and deferential aren't
seen as leadership material.
We like women who are family-minded. If they're too career-driven, we think they
put ambition before families, which we don't regard as attractive in a woman.
That implies a woman's kids have to be grown before she ventures into a political
bid. Fathers, however, are free to pursue political careers no matter how young
their kids.
And we tend to blame women for their husband's failings.
Our attitudes have created a Catch 22 for women. We set an impossible
standard for them that we don't hold men to. They're either too nice or too
confident, too close to their spouses or not family minded enough. And if they
have to run for office only after their kids are grown, they're left out of the political
pipeline.
I base these observations partly on how I hear both women and men talk. We're
ready to fault women for not being perfect, while giving men a pass.
I've seen the different ways readers respond to me and to other female
columnists when we sound either assertive or self-deprecating. The voice of
authority is still considered to be male. Just look at the succession of male
commentators and hosts on local radio and TV, with few female counterparts.
That's changing somewhat, and I see a growing hunger in Iowa for strong women
role models. But it's embarrassing for Iowa to still be regarded as one of the last
patriarchal holdouts.
Will national pundits still be handicapping races based on Iowans' sexism four
years from now? Or are we ready to stop holding female candidates up to
impossibly different standards and judge them on their merits?
REKHA BASU can be reached at rbasu@dmreg.com or (515) 284-8584.