Of the 104 women in Congress, only 28 are Republican. With this one statistic, it’s possible to see how the Republican party could be viewed as sexist.
However, communications consultant Candice Greaux writes that this is not the case.
In her article “Republican Women Need to Start Speaking Up,” Greaux says that Republican women, especially Republican women active in politics, need to dispel the rumors of Republican sexism.
Greaux emphasizes that the number of Republican women serving in Congress does not indicate the true condition for Republican women. She knows this because of her own experience in politics.
“Democrats have effectively made the case that it is their party that truly represents the interests of women…Unfortunately, a great many Republican candidates and officeholders over the years have done too little to dispel this notion,” says Greaux.
It is not through numbers, but through personal stories of strong Republican women who have made a successful careers in politics that the view of Republican party will change.
In contrast to the Democrat narrative, Greaux writes that in her time in the political sphere she has felt most demeaned by those on the left.
“I’ve only been spoken to with the inflection of “Sit down little girl” by those who found it unconscionable that an individual could be female, smart, strongly opinionated and Republican all at the same time,” says Greaux.
Though some are shocked to find the combination of a strong female with Republican beliefs, Greaux says that that combination is not rare.
Depsite Greaux and her female friends’ experiences with the Republican party, they have found that young women, especially college-aged women, believe there is no place for them in the Republican party.
Seeing the Republican party as sexist has become the popular view, but Greaux believes it is up to Republican women to change that.
Read more at Observer.
