2008 Woodie Awards
The influence of the female vote
Kristin Brodeur
Issue date: 11/4/08 Section: News
As college students of the 21st century, it can be easy to forget that women weren't allowed to vote as recently as 89 years ago.
To remind students of the struggle for women's suffrage, the history department, women's studies program and women's commission combined to sponsor an event last Thursday highlighting Susan B. Anthony, one of the forerunners of the women's movement.
The event, a live dramatization in which Sally Matson played Anthony, was planned after the Women's Commission read some startling statistics about female voters.
Sylvia Foster, the educational program coordinator for the President's Commission, noted an article from the Washington Post that stated 20 million unmarried women chose not to vote in the 2004 election.
"We're really grateful for how far women's rights have come," Foster said, "but we have a long way to go."
Female voters on campus expressed excitement about voting.
"I [think] that female voters feel more empowered to vote in this election," said junior Becky Shreenan, a first-time voter in favor of Sen. Barack Obama. Shreenan believes the women running for office have helped this empowerment. "[It's] opened a lot of women's eyes about how influential they can be in this country."
Historically, women voters have had an important impact on elections, according to professor Ellen Fitzpatrick, a specialist in U.S. women's history and a commentator for the current election on PBS.
"The turnout among women voters tends to be higher than among men voters," Fitzpatrick said, making women a significant variable in the election.
The importance of women voters in this election hasn't been lost on either candidate.
"Since 1980, there has been a 'gender gap' in American presidential elections that indicates different preferences among male and female voters on issues and candidates," Fitzpatrick said. "For that reason, and in an effort to recruit women voters drawn to Hillary Clinton's candidacy, both candidates have directly appealed to women voters."
To remind students of the struggle for women's suffrage, the history department, women's studies program and women's commission combined to sponsor an event last Thursday highlighting Susan B. Anthony, one of the forerunners of the women's movement.
The event, a live dramatization in which Sally Matson played Anthony, was planned after the Women's Commission read some startling statistics about female voters.
Sylvia Foster, the educational program coordinator for the President's Commission, noted an article from the Washington Post that stated 20 million unmarried women chose not to vote in the 2004 election.
"We're really grateful for how far women's rights have come," Foster said, "but we have a long way to go."
Female voters on campus expressed excitement about voting.
"I [think] that female voters feel more empowered to vote in this election," said junior Becky Shreenan, a first-time voter in favor of Sen. Barack Obama. Shreenan believes the women running for office have helped this empowerment. "[It's] opened a lot of women's eyes about how influential they can be in this country."
Historically, women voters have had an important impact on elections, according to professor Ellen Fitzpatrick, a specialist in U.S. women's history and a commentator for the current election on PBS.
"The turnout among women voters tends to be higher than among men voters," Fitzpatrick said, making women a significant variable in the election.
The importance of women voters in this election hasn't been lost on either candidate.
"Since 1980, there has been a 'gender gap' in American presidential elections that indicates different preferences among male and female voters on issues and candidates," Fitzpatrick said. "For that reason, and in an effort to recruit women voters drawn to Hillary Clinton's candidacy, both candidates have directly appealed to women voters."
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