The White House Project

Yesterday I was interviewed for a documentary film project that evokes Lysistrata, the centuries-old play about the women of Greece who, fed up with the Peloponnesian war, banded together and withheld sex until the men relented and decided to live in peace. 

When I woke up today to the anachronistic decision of our out of tune and touch Supreme Court, who with yesterday’s decision are withholding the right to 20 years worth of equal compensation for a female manager at the Goodyear Tire Factory in Alabama (thereby revoking a practice that supported women’s equal pay since the1964 Civil Rights Act), I thought of good old Lysistrata.

The last Supremely unwise decision about women’s reproductive freedom that ignored women’s health was based, as Justice Ginsberg said in her dissent yesterday on, “ancient notions about women’s place in the family and under the Constitution—ideas that have long since been discredited.”

If these guys are turning back the clock to decrepit and out-of-date ideas as they have done in their recent decisions, maybe it is time women resort to the tactics of centuries ago as well.

Okay, so maybe it’s unrealistic to propose women hold a sex strike…but maybe every woman who plays a part in the earnings of her family should take a day off work, and withhold our paid and unpaid labor.  Let’s see how the men of the 21^st century do without us.

The women of Iceland did it.  It got men’s attention and eventually a woman president was elected.  Vigdís Finnbogadóttir who was a good leader for women, men and the country, led Iceland for 16 years.  Little boys in Iceland, who’d only ever known a woman president, longingly asked their mothers if there would ever be a man president after a couple of her terms.  See how quickly reality can shift?

What do you say American women?  Those of us who can could send a message to the Supremes, and to the Goodyears of the U.S. that they could have a very bad day…year…century without the labor of women.  What a very powerful message that would be.

A new Marriot hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan plans to have a women-only floor when it opens in September, as well as a women-only lounge.  A hotel spokeswoman has said that since more than half of all business travelers are women, they are trying to create a space where women can feel comfortable, and avoid male advances.  What do you think about this idea?  Is it reverse discrimination?  Do you think it’s necessary?

With the election in France of Nicolas Sarkozy as President over socialist candidate Segolene Royal, many American pundits have tried to read her defeat as a harbinger for Senator Hillary Clinton and her quest to become America’s first woman president.

While there is a parallel to be drawn, this is not one of them.

The fact that a female candidate presented such a strong showing in the election–Royal, received 48% of the vote despite her lack of grounding on the issues–demonstrates a growing acceptance for women’s executive leadership. Global momentum around women leaders has been building–in the past two years alone, we’ve seen Chile, Germany and Liberia choose women to lead. France strongly considered doing the same.

Many are now wondering if Royal’s loss is indicative of how a woman presidential candidate might fare here at home. The connection is tempting to make, but this scenario cannot be grafted from France to America. As for the Hillary parallel, each candidate represents unique policies, and each country has its own set of barriers and opportunities for a first-time female candidate.

The one hurdle both countries have in common is the hesitancy by older women voters to support women candidates. In France, Royal only garnered 36% of women voters over 60 whereas her male opponent pulled in 64%, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on Election Day. Similarly, Hillary’s support is softest among women over 60 and needs to be shored up if she is going to have a chance to occupy the Oval Office.

Few would challenge the notion that women are as able as men, if given the same opportunities and training. We can be–and have been–scientists and diplomats, CEOs and athletes, astronauts and soldiers. But, I think we also possess a different skill set, that we have a more collaborative style, build communities, focus on broader issues and reach across lines of authority. Not everyone agrees.

Do you think women bring something different to the leadership table?

Tell us what you’ve loved about this weekend so far!