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Time To Play 'The Woman Card'?

Last week I was catching up with a friend I’ve known over 30 years. When our conversation turned to the Democratic National Convention, I told her I was trying to understand why I felt uncomfortable with speeches that centered on female firsts and in general “played the woman card.”

My friend reminded me of when we were in grad school in 1980 and the button with the number “38” that she wore – “38” represented the number of states needed to approve the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1980 Illinois was one of the 15 states that had not ratified the ERA, and still hasn’t. Although many of us lost track of the ERA, assuming that equal pay is part of the Constitution, this is not true.

Maybe I’ve been in denial. I’ve certainly not been keeping up with the ongoing inequalities in compensation, healthcare and social justice. Women today average something like 78% of men’s wages; it’s even lower for minorities.

When politicians refer to “playing the woman card” or the “race card,” they’re often intimating a lack of substance or a reliance on emotion. It should also be a signal that they may well be dismissing critically important issues they don’t support as whining.

I realize I was more excited about having a first African American president than a woman. No doubt a big part of that was my belief in him as a leader and statesman of great intellect and integrity. But even though the 2016 Democratic nominee was not my first choice, I thank her and my friend for waking me up to take action for gender equality and to celebrate females, and males, who work tirelessly for human rights.

I’m Paula Garrett and that’s my perspective.

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