It’s Still A Man’s World …

Posted on by under Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

There were about 125.9 million adult women in the United States in 2014. The number of men was 119.4 million. At age 85 and older, there were almost twice as many women as men (4 million vs. 2.1 million).  Women, in other words, comprise over half the population of the United States.  Now, let’s look at Congress.

  • Of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, 84 are women, or 19.3%
  • Of the 100 members of the Senate, 23 are women … 23%

So, women comprise approximately 51.3% of the nation’s population, yet only a mere 20% of our main governing body.  Does anybody besides me see anything wrong with this picture??? And interestingly, of the 107 women in Congress, 78 are democrats and only 29 are republicans, a ratio of nearly 3:1.  And this, in spite of the fact that the republicans hold a majority in both chambers of Congress!womenBut, there is something wrong with the title of this post.  Yes, it is still, as the above statistics show, very much a man’s world.  But what about this …

  • Of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, 48 are African American, or 11%
  • Of the 100 members of the Senate, 3 are African-American, or 3%

African-Americans, in other words make up only 9.5% of our main governing body, even though they comprise 12.6% of the population.  A little closer than women, but still not equitable representation.gender gap.jpgThe point being that the U.S. Congress is largely comprised of white males.  And so, is it any wonder that when it comes time to confirm a potential Supreme Court justice, and the nominee is one who is likely, given the chance, to trample all over women’s rights, we are not represented?  When said nominee is also accused of having sexually assaulted women in his past, it doesn’t matter, for those who will judge him are white males, many of whom have likely done the same themselves.  They share a wink-wink and say, “Ahhh … the good ol’ days, eh?  But that’s long ago, and he shouldn’t have to pay for what he did 30+ years ago, right?”  And once again, we are not represented.  If you doubt that there is the pervasive attitude among some, but certainly not all men, that women are put on earth for their (men’s) pleasure, just look at how many men have been brought low in the past two years by the #MeToo movement.  Look at Bill Cosby, Matt Lauer, Mel Gibson, Charlie Rose, Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, and the list would take the next 15 pages or more, but you get the idea.

Remember Brock Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer who received naught more than a slap on the wrist for raping an unconscious woman on campus after a party?   Even though he was found guilty on three felony counts, he got off lightly because a) his daddy had money, and b) well … boys will be boys, right — wink, wink?  The judge said he saw no reason to ruin young Turner’s life and sentenced him to only six months.  Turner served 90 days in prison.

The Senate Judiciary Committee that heard the testimony of both Dr. Christine Ford and Brett Kavanaugh is comprised of 21 members:  11 republicans and 10 democrats.  The next day, Friday, a vote was held, and predictably 11 members voted to move Kavanaugh’s confirmation out of committee and to the full senate for a vote. 10 voted against.  Can you guess who voted how?  There are four women on the committee … all four are democrats.they-dont-careAfter the vote, retiring Senator Jeff Flake called for an investigation by the FBI prior to the full senate vote.  A noble gesture for which he is being lauded.  However, the fact is that he voted “Aye” in the committee vote speaks louder.  Another, Senator Lisa Murkowski, also called for an investigation prior to the full senate vote, leaving Donald Trump with no choice but to order the investigation.  However, he ordered a ‘limited’ investigation on Friday evening, giving the bureau only until next Friday to present their results.  I see this as paying lip-service, an attempt to appease those of us who believe that Brett Kavanaugh is not who or what he purports to be and is not qualified to sit on the highest court in the land.

angry Kav

The face of ugly

All else aside, Brett Kavanaugh has shown us an ugly side this week, vacillating between fury and whining.  Even if he hadn’t lied under oath and if he didn’t sexually molest Dr. Ford, his emotional instability and his lack of respect should disqualify him.  The behaviours he has exhibited this week would have disqualified any woman who had been facing a confirmation hearing.

My best guess is that either a) the FBI investigation will be so limited in scope and time that it will turn up nothing to disqualify Mr. Kavanaugh, or b) no matter what the investigation reveals, Kavanaugh will be confirmed anyway by the mostly male senate.  I hope I’m wrong.  I also hope that Brett Kavanaugh is not confirmed to the Supreme Court, for he is very much a partisan, and I fear will not ever be capable of being fair and impartial.  We shall see.

35 thoughts on “It’s Still A Man’s World …”

  1. I have completely lost all faith in our justice system. There’s just too much greed, thirst for power, self-centeredness, hatred, and close-mindedness for anything to be fair or just. I truly believe the only hope we have is God’s Kingdom, where all suffering and injustice will be done away with (Revelation 21:3,4) and we’ll finally have a ruler that is loving and just (Deuteronomy 32:4).

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Let’s be honest Kavanaugh is there for one reason, his backers wants Roe vs Wade overturned. He’s not anything of worth, just another piece in the Right Wing game.
    If he was a true man and a person character he would not be in this situation nor dragging his family through it.
    Another small person.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Jill, good post. To sum up, the GOP male leadership is patronizing Dr. Ford. She is credible, but mistaken is the gist of the argument. A reason to doubt Kavanaugh, outside of being less than forthcoming on some answers in earlier testimony, is his using the “blame the Democrats, Clinton’s and media” defense. To be brutally frank, when I see or hear these kinds of arguments, it tells me to look more closely.

    Now, we are learning the US President is hamstringing the investigation asking them not to look at the gang rape accusation. What does this tell you? Keith

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    • Thanks Keith! Indeed they are patronizing her, and I was a bit offended by Orrin Hatch’s remark about her being attractive. Her looks are NOT the point here, for Pete’s sake! He rather reminded me of a lecher! I definitely think there is more to this ignominious push, shove, cram to get Kavanaugh confirmed despite every sign that he is not capable of putting aside his emotions to act fairly and judiciously, plus is not a man of honour. Gronda and I are both digging to see what lies beneath the surface that we aren’t seeing. Sigh.

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  4. Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    ‘There were about 125.9 million adult women in the United States in 2014. The number of men was 119.4 million. At age 85 and older, there were almost twice as many women as men (4 million vs. 2.1 million). Women, in other words, comprise over half the population of the United States.’ … it’s time to take over!!
    Yet, the men won’t yield gracefully … remember that!!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Dear Jill,

    During the 9/27/18 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Judge Kavanaugh proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that as a full blown GOP partisan, he is not temperamentally suited / fit to serve as a justice on the US Supreme Court but he was selling to an audience of one, President Trump.

    GOP Senator Lindsey Graham was performing for an audience of one, President Trump.

    While the world was appalled by what they witnessed, the GOP senators were ecstatic because President Trump was pleased with their acting.

    And they are still intent on rushing this obviously flawed SCOTUS nominee through the confirmation process. I have come to the inevitable conclusion that we are missing a major piece of the puzzle to explain the craziness that we’ve been witnessing.

    Your theory about the census questionnaire is a real possibility.

    Hugs, Gronda

    Liked by 2 people

    • I agree … the ‘performances’ by Kavanaugh and Graham were just that … performances. And NOT Academy Award winning ones, at that. I was sickened watching Kavanaugh and kept thinking … and this angry, blubbering fool is going to sit on the highest court in the land??? Shoot me now! There may be a number of nefarious purposes to his nomination, but they sure are bringing out the dog and pony show. I’m betting that he gets confirmed even if the FBI finds out he was a serial killer!

      Hugs!!!

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  7. You hit the nail on the head this man shows no character or stability . We might compare him to Mark Zuckerberg who showed his quality when questioned under pressure. We need to ask ourselves how is it that such men and women work themselves into prime positions in our society? In the same way the Catholic hierarchy need to investigate how such men become priests or even Bishops.
    Regarding men versus women I do not believe the world would be a better place if it was run by women they are as flawed as men but they have a perfect right to fill fifty percent of the positions of power and the quicker that happens the better.

    Liked by 1 person

    • ‘Tis a question I have asked more than once … how do such unconscionable people work their way into the highest levels of corporate or government structure. Do they hide their shortcomings so well, or do we just not care, as long as they are accomplishing what we need them to? I don’t believe the world should be run solely by either gender, but since the population is comprised of both, both should have an equal voice. Sadly, that is not the case in any nation, and even in the West, women largely have accepted that it is the way of the world. Methinks it’s past time for that to change.

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  8. If I ever go for a heart operation I won’t care one jot if the surgeon is a woman or a man, or if there are an equitable number of female heart surgeons in the world. What I will want is the very best heart surgeon I can possibly get.
    Hugs Jill ❤ 😉 ❤

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    • You just keep that heart healthy, Jack Collier … no heart surgeries for me to worry about, please! 😟 But to your point, yeah … I remember back in the 60s when people would as, before being given blood transfusions, the colour of the donor. Stupid!!! Bigotry in its many forms is the thing, I think, that makes me most hate even being part of the human race. I am coming back in my next life as a wolf 🐺 Aaarrroooooooooo

      Love ‘n hugs, Jack! ❤

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  9. The moon has a dark side, so does Brett Kavanaugh. The glimpses that we have seen of that side are not reassuring…this man does not deserve or belong on the Supreme Court! You are right, it is still a man’s world and this younger generation of women must change that…together. The increasing number of women going into politics is encouraging, but their numbers need to grow larger and faster. “When men are oppressed, it’s a tragedy. When women are oppressed, it’s tradition.” – Letty Cottin Pogrebin. Thank-you!

    Liked by 3 people

    • I fully agree … he looks, sounds and acts evil. In fact, in one of the shots I saw of him, the first thought that came into my head was of Jack Nicholson in The Shining with where he had that maniacal, wild-eyed look on his face! Yes, more women need to get into the political arena, but more to the point, they need to be taken seriously … as seriously as their male counterparts. I’m mad now and I want to know why we aren’t represented. Why does a group of stodgy old white men get the right to decide what I can or cannot do with my own body? Do we tell them they cannot have a vasectomy? What would they say if we decided to ban Viagra? Sigh. 🤭

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  10. I’ve been trying to stay away from politics lately because being angry all the time isn’t healthy but…this man, if confirmed, will be a judge with incredible powers FOR LIFE. All I can hope is that this global anger amongst women,and a lot ot men too, will eventually lead to a more equal world. That’s the hope. But. We have a conservative govt here in Australia too, and the gender gap is almost identical. Worse, I can’t think of a single country on earth where this gender/race inequality is any less. Things have to change. They just have to.

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    • I wondered where you’d been … I’ve missed you! I just figured you were hard at work on your book. You’re right … it’s no different anywhere else, but it needs to be. It’s about time our voice was equal, was even heard! Hugs, dear friend!

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      • -hugs back- I’ve always been more of a humanist than a feminist, but the promise of the 70’s simply hasn’t born fruit and even I have finally had enough. The world doesn’t have to be this way. 😦

        Liked by 1 person

        • Same here! In fact, there were some aspects of the ‘women’s lib’ movement that I thought took things too far and threw out the baby with the bathwater, such as women becoming offended if a man held open a door or pulled out a chair for them. I just think we should all treat one another with respect and compassion, no matter what gender, colour of skin, religion, gender identity, religion or whatever other criteria people use to exclude and judge others. No, it doesn’t have to be this way … but how are we going to change it? We must if the human race is to survive, but I just don’t know how.

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  12. That’s a hope shared by many. I note the variety of looks on the faces in your header picture. On his face see rage and the ugly face of someone thwarted. On the women’s faces the looks range from disbelief to horror. Not the looks you want to see from people listening to a possible Supreme Court judge.
    Cwtch

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    • Yes, I especially noted the looks on the faces of the two women sitting front-row, far left, next to his wife … their expressions speak of pure disgust. No, and his alternating between whining and rage are not the sort I want making decisions for an entire nation for the next 40 years or so, either. Sigh.
      Cwtch

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