The Laura Chinchilla
Win Sure isn’t a Victory for All Women
By Ellen Friedrichs
If seeing Sarah Palin’s face on Fox news
wasn’t reminder enough that a socially
conservative woman has more chance of
gaining political power than does a liberal
one, Costa Rica’s recent election of Laura
Chinchilla for president, hits that message
home.
According to the New York Times, “Although
she follows the center-left welfare policies
of her party, she is a social conservative
who opposes abortion and gay marriage.”
To be sure, this is an important moment.
With this election, Chinchilla becomes Costa
Rica’s first female president, and joins
only a handful of other female world
leaders. As a result, many women are likely
very inspired by the victory.
But given her views, the Chinchilla win is
really more of a victory for one woman than
it is for all women. While it’s nice to have
your gender represented in politics, it’s
not nearly as nice as having your rights
guaranteed. |
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