Page 6 High Life
Ooinion
February 28, 2007
New York Times gets it wrong, women get it right
BYLEIAFORGAY
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Recently printed in "The
New York Times" was a re
port claiming "51 percent of
American women were liv
ing without spouses in
2005." Readers were left
wondering what caused the
sudden increase in
bachelorettes, and some even
feared the future of our soci
ety. In my opinion, women
are simply getting smarter.
Literature has long em
phasized the strength and in
dependence of women, but if
w'as not until the 20th cen
tury that such char acteristics
became evident in real-life
heroines. During World War
II, American men went to
Europe and Asia to fight,
leaving the women at home
to work in factories. Now,
more than 50 years later, fe
males are still in the work
place and even dominate
certain professions.
Females have so much
going for them; it makes
sense they would not make
time to martv^ a man and then
cater to him. Ladies have the
potential to "have it all," chil
dren, careers, and ample so
cial lives. In 1967, Aretha
Franklin released her hit
.song "Respect," and the mes
sage she spread of women's
independence only mush
roomed from there.
However, by the New
York Times' standards, a
"woman living without a
spouse" includes women
whose husbands live in other
cities due to work con
straints, whose are in jail or
prison; or who are serving in
the military. These standards
hardly constitute one's typi
cal idea of a single female, so
there is no need to worry that
spinsters will soon take over
the world. However, using
data published by the Ameri
can community survey,
I determined that the num
ber of single women in the
United States is approxi
mately 39,59%. This number
includes only women who,
at the time of the survey,
were separated, divorced,
or had never been married.
Evmn when widows are
considered, the number only
increases to 49.01%.
Although there is not a
shocking majority^ of single
women in the United States,
the unwed population has
certainly increased. Cur
rently, the projected divorce
rate for all married couples
is between 40 and 50 percent.
Recent statistics claim that
two thirds of marriages in
which at least one spouse is
under 30 years old ends in
divorce. Such information
is common knowledge and
may deter a woman to marry.
Even so, numbers have
little meaning to the average
person, myself included, so
let's examine pop-culture
evidence. Popular series of
ten involve empowered
women and their scandalous
love lives, including the hits
"Sex and the City" and "Des
perate Housewives." Celeb
rity couples, such as Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie, Goldie
Hawm and Kurt Russell, and
Susan Sarandon and Tim
Robbins live happily rvi thout
marrying. TV personalities
Oprah Winfrey and Katie
Couric not only live without
husbands, but they also pub
licize their personal trag
edies to help others.
Nowadays, it is socially
acceptable for a couple to
live together and even have
children without saying "I
do." The onty limitations are
a couple's religious convic
tions and their need for a set
of fine china and a blender.
Personally, I can think of
at least three divorcees in
volving people whom I con
sider role models. Each
woman is strong, beautiful,
and in no way bitter. I sup
pose that it is not that they
are divorced that makes
them so ideal to me, but that
they are happy'^. In marriage,
a wife is responsible for her
husband's happiness, as he is
for hers, but being single
means that a woman de
pends only upon herself.
They would still be role
models if they were married
because marital status has
little to do with a person's
character. What is important
is that a woman maintains
her dignity and personality
through marriage, mother
hood, divorce, and whatever
else life may cause her
to endure.
In no way do I condone
maniage or divorce. Most
likely, I will be a practitioner
of at least one, and there is a
50% chance that 1 will expe
rience both. The true issue
is not the percentage of
single women in our country'
but that everyone is so con
cerned with it. Rather than
mourn the death of an insti
tution, we should acknowl
edge the achievements of our
nation's w'omen and men
whet her they are married or
not. Senator Hilary Clinton
may be the first female Presi
dential candidate in the
United States, while Senator
Barack Obama, raised by a
single mother, may be the
first Presidential candidate
who represents the African-
American population. Re
gardless of marital status, I
would like to wish every
reader a happy' Valentine's
Day and eternal happiness,
whether it comes from y'our-
self or a fabulous partner.
Empowered females climb political ladder
Female politicians dare to
make a difference by running
against “the good ole boys.”
No longer do they stand
the shadows or allow
in
male colleagues to inhibit them
from speaking their minds.
BYHVflLYH/VRDIN
Opinion Editor
Women and positions of power
are rarely associated together in so
ciety, much less the same sentence.
Until recently, females were victims
of discrimination, w'hether it related
to restrictions on voting rights err ste
reotypes positioning their place in
the home; wornen were restrained
from voicing their opinions on issues
that mattered.
In the last few decades, however,
great strides have occurred for
women in the field of politics. Fe
males have not only been elected in
large numbers, but they have be
come more diligent in their pursuit
of representation in the United
States government.
Jeanette Rankin was the first
woman to fill a Congressional seat
in 1917. Since then, over 230 women
have served in Congress. The 109th
Congress held a record number of
women wnlth over 80 in Congress for
two sessions. Rankin and many other
females have set precedents
for women; they demonstrcite the
drive needed for females to make a
difference in this world.
Presently, a woman to take charge
has been Nancy Pelosi. She became
the first female Speaker of the House
on Jan. 2, 2007. She represents the
Democratic Party and sets a striking
example for others to follow. Women
in our country today do not under
stand the magnitude of Pelosi's
achievement. She is not only the first
w'oman to hold this position, but she
is also a strong force ready to make
a difference.
In her inaugural speech, Pelosi
stated, "Never losing faith, we
wmted through the many years of
struggle to achieve our rights. But
women weren't just waiting; women
were working. Never losing faith,
we worked to redeem the promise
of America, that all men and women
are created equal."
Pelosi is an example for all
women; she understands the impor
tance of striving for a better future
and serves as a role model by work
ing hard to be treated equally to her
fellow male colleagues.
To further women's steps in ac
quiring more political power,
Hillary Clinton recently announced
her intentions to run as the Demo
cratic candidate in the 2008 presi
dential election. W'hile many people
hold strong feelings against Clinton
and her political views, Clinton's
bravery to run for president says
much about her character.
Whether one believes in her
political views or not, Clinton
should be recognized for the step she
is taking for w'omen in politics. If she
^
H Speaker of the House, Nancy
• Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks at a
news conference in San
1 nincisco. Pelosi became the
first female Speaker of the
House on January 2, 2007.
Hillary Clinton, US Senator,
plans to run as the
Democratic presidential
candidate in the 2008
election. Clinton has been
involved in politics since
being elected in 2000 as New
York's Senator.
wins the primaries, Clinton will be
the first woman to run for president
in one of the two main political par
ties.
Pointing out the accomplishments
of both Pelosi and Clinton shows
that, while voters may not edways
agree with the opinions of political
candidates, men or women, Ameri
cans should still stand behind them
and support their valor.
It is not every day that a human
being, yet alone a w'oman, stands in
front of her country' and declares her
intention to be a leader and her
willingness to make decisions
affecting the lives of millions.
All should respect these individuals,
especially the females. Whether
individuals vote for Clinton or not,
they should at least give respect to
trendsetters such as the senator.
Volume 83 Issue 6
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