By Vivian Le
With potential for the first female, people at the Women’s Resource & Action Center were eager to learn the fate of the country and what it will mean for women across the nation.People in the UI community gathered at the WRAC Tuesday evening to watch results roll in from across the country. The event was open to all people as a safe place, which even provided a therapy dog from Pet Partners to help soothe election anxieties.
Members believe the results of the election will frame a new perception of female leaders in society regardless of who wins.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before. I think I have a lot of concerns about the harsh rhetoric that’s been going on throughout the campaign,” said Linda Kroon, the WRAC director. “I have higher hopes for people who aspire for public office that they would seek ways to bring people together rather than ways to push people apart or denigrate one set of people or another. I think it’s gone on on all sides.”
WRAC leaders have been pushing an initiative to encourage more women who are enrolled in a postsecondary academic institution to go after higher leadership positions, especially in electoral politics. The Iowa N.E.W. Leadership program, for example, was created from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University’s program.
“One of our slogans is, ‘If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,’ so the more women that see themselves in this positions, the more likely they are to consider that that could be them next” said Laurie Haag, the WRAC program developer. “I think that’s major.”
Many of the people at the viewing party believed that Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been a landmark for women no matter whether she wins or loses and regardless of people’s political affiliation.
“Even if you don’t agree with someone’s politics, you can see someone pursuing something that may inspire you to see a possibility for yourself you had not considered before,” Kroon said. “I think that’s a positive thing.”
UI student Madison Hoffman said Clinton’s candidacy is “very important and very empowering for young girls, especially to see something like this happen.”
On the other hand, some viewed Republican candidate Donald Trump’s campaign as less than progressive for women’s rights.
“I think it’s a setback. He’s so anti-women,” said UI student Ashley Titus of Muscatine, citing the tapes released in early October and the sexual-assault allegations made against him.
However, the negative female-related rhetoric has not been partisan. Leaders and representatives from both parties have contributed, Titus said.
“Old guaard on the left, like Gloria Steinem, speaking about how if you were to vote for Bernie Sanders, you were betraying ‘your people,’ which is really negative. I don’t think we should look at it like that,” Titus said. “To me, the rhetoric on the right is so ridiculous and so out with all of the women that I know.”
