We wanted to give the participants from this weekend to speak out about their experiences at the conference; here are two to start with:
As one of the few private sector attendees at the initial Younger Women's Task Force Meet-Up working in a traditionally male field, I faced my peers with trepidation. What would they think about the fact that my policy of "register for whichever party allows you to vote meaningfully the most times" resulted in my membership in the Republican party? Most of the women I met were vocal Democrats who worked for non-profits dedicated in one way or another to helping women.
My disdain for attaching labels to others didn't protect me from the fear and expectation that I would be shunned for being different. Certainly, a group which consists largely of women who proudly wear the mantle of "feminist" would shun a Republican engineer, or at least demand a switch to Democrat?
My expectations could not have been further from the truth. By the end of the conference I realized that I was appreciated for providing a different viewpoint and that I'm not the only one who thinks that equality and an end to discrimination should be present for all political parties, not just one.
Annette Gaynes, Arizona
I am confused. I was told that younger feminists are a mass of disorganized, unmotivated gals whose major ambitions are to find new ways of incorporating vaginal slang into the contemporary lexicon and to make the world a safer place for knitting.
But at the conference, the 80 or so of us crafted a mission statement relatively low on jargon and high on principle and put some action items on the side. Meaning that we actually got something done. Our goals went beyond wielding the black bar over skinny celebs or reclaiming the word ‘ho-bag’ for our personal empowerment. We laid out plans to get more women elected to political office, help women get access to educational opportunities, and other more secret missions we best not divulge here.
Maybe I’m naïve, but I have this sneaking suspicion that young women are getting organized. And I like it.
ErinLee Mock, New York
Can you provide a sense of the age group encompassed by the term "younger women?" I have assumed it refers to women in their 20s but I am not sure.
Thanks, and congratulations on your efforts towards mobilizing younger women!
to be clear, it wasn't my effort. this was a conference put together by the National Council of Women's Organizations (the implications of which I'm going to go into in a near future post). i believe the age range was from 18-late thirties, but i would say that the majority of women there were mid-20s.