"Prominent Conservative Women" or "Ideology Bends to Reality – Longterm"

The problem with sexism (one of the problems with sexism) is that it is impractical. If you want a conservative woman as your flag bearer you're going to have to deal with the fact that she isn't going to be living the conservative life style, because it is an impossible life style for prominent women to lead. A women should be attractive and young, but such a woman should have a family and be taking care of them. Yeah, Sarah Palin has lots of kids, but she's not the one taking care of them, she's not 'mothering' them in the conventional sense of the word.

Sarah Palin makes me happy. I dislike all of her positions (or at least all of her positions that I know of) and I even dislike all that I know of her personally. I vehemently hope that she will lose the general election and that the ideology that she espouses loses, both in November and long term. However, I'm thrilled that she is part of the national discourse, I think it immensely useful for feminist goals.

The current single largest barrier (not to diminish a variety of other barriers also present) to equality in the United States is the presumption of women as primary caretakers. Being a primary caretaker for children is extremely time consuming and for years at a time a full time occupation. It's also one of those things that while very difficult to do very well is simple to perform to a minimum level. (Like cooking actually). There are no special skills or training required. (I'd argue the need for heroic patience and large doses of empathy but it's all mostly debatable). A group of people (a class if you will) that is presumed to have a job that requires minimum skills, a lot of time, and no pay during some of the most productive years of a person's life, with a similar part time job in later years, is handicapped in the ability to achieve financial security or excess and great achievements of any kind. This is simple logic, if you do A you can't do B at the same time, if you don't do B now the total B that you do decreases.

Today, a substantial portion of society thinks women should have economic and political equality with men. Often, even men who espouse this view will not be eager to shoulder more work in the childcare department, this is, unfortunately, simply rational behavior on their part. However, as the view that women should be seen in political life permeates society and even conservatives feel the need to have women representing them, the basic incompatibility of the full time caretaker model (especially with the multiple children far right conservatives would have all of us have) with a competitive career becomes inescapable.

Sarah Palin, whatever else she is or isn't, is not the primary caretaker for her young children. The simple, brutal calculus of time does not allow it. Someone else is doing the majority of the diaper changes, the majority of the rocking to sleep or quite, the monitoring that the baby doesn't fall out or the toddler doesn't eat something toxic, and all that. I don't think there is anything wrong with this. I just want more women to have that choice, without facing shame or obstacles.

Rich women have always been able to break conventions, when the stars aligned just right in family connections and talent. There have always been exceptions and they have rarely done much for women as a group. Conservatives (and lets be fair, human beings) have always had a large tolerance for hypocrisy (maybe even a taste for it?). Sarah Palin though, is not particularly rich (though she is certainly well off) or terribly well connected (as far as I can tell). So, I think it a good sign. Queen Elizabeth didn't do much for society's view of women. No one women can or will. But there must be a critical mass, a time when there are enough women to point to and say “hey, she did this, and you think she's a good person, a good woman, why can't I?” that it will make a difference.

None of this will stop conservatives from trying to shame and tar liberal women by saying they're bad mothers and bad women for not being primary caretakers or for being outspoken or ambitious but the more Sarah Palins there are the more ammunition we have to go “R U Serious? Really?” And every non prominent conservative that votes for Palin is endorsing her lifestyle and though he may see no contradiction in his 'values' and his vote for Palin eventually these contradictions will seep through.

It makes the conservative arguments harder, and sooner or later they are abandoned. The overtone window moves.