[[link removed]] | OCTOBER 2024
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Feminist Majority Political Report
HERE'S THE BEST FROM THE FEMINIST NEWS WIRE
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Colgate Campus Organizers mobilizing students for Kamala!
Election Day Countdown! Vote for Equality Campus Organizers Gear Up for the Election
FMF STAFF | OCTOBER 30
Vote for Equality, the political arm of the Feminist Majority, is currently planning the final push towards Election Day -- mobilizing thousands of students in battleground states across the country to vote for their future and for equality.
Polls are consistently showing that the gender gap will be the deciding factor in the 2024 Presidential Election, proving that our focus on young women is the key to victory. The latest Harvard Youth Poll reveals this gender gap has skyrocketed, with Kamala Harris now leading Donald Trump by an impressive 30 points among young women—a massive jump from just 8 points in the spring. Harris is now leading 70% to 23% among likely young women voters. This surge is fueling our movement on campuses nationwide.
One of the most striking findings of the Harvard Youth Poll is the impact of peer influence on voting behavior. When young Americans believe their friends will vote, 79% plan to vote as well. And that’s exactly what’s at the heart of our Vote For Equality Campaign. Across our 47 campuses, where powerful conversations about what is at stake in this election are inspiring students, we’re harnessing this powerful social momentum to get students to the polls.
This November, we are voting as if our lives depend on it. Go to feministmajority.org [[link removed]] to join us.
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The Kutztown team of organizers collecting voter pledges!
Georgia Judge Blocks Trump’s Election Rules
SKYLAR DAVELINE | OCTOBER 24
Last week, Georgia blocked Trump-backed election rules that had been recently passed by the State Election Board. Of the seven rules implemented, three gained immense pushback, which included one that required ballots to be counted by hand after polls close and two that dealt with the certification of election results.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox, who decided on the case, determined that these rules were “illegal, unconstitutional and void.” He claims that they were inconsistent with Georgia’s Election Code and that the State Election Board had overstepped their authority. The Trump-backed election rules were immediately declared void and will not be followed by election officials. The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously blocked Republicans’ appeal to this decision.
In a state where President Joe Biden beat President Donald Trump by less than 12,000 votes, this ruling is critical. Legal experts and activists say that if the election rules had not been rejected, voting rights would have been significantly damaged in a battleground state. Many argued that the proposed election rules would have allowed Trump allies to set back or completely prevent the certification of the election.
Because these rules could be used by Trump-supporting county election officials, it could have ignited “a legal firestorm at a time when statewide results would need to be certified.” Further, it could have led to significant doubts on election results nationally. Any sign of confusion to the process, including questions on election certification, could lead many to refuse the election results.
Moreover, many argued that the new election rules were passed too close to Election Day, stating that it was already sparking confusion among the state. This chaos and turmoil would have only gotten worse when votes were cast.
The Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and the Georgia state Democratic Party issued a joint statement to celebrate the ruling, stating “democracy is stronger thanks to this decision to block it.”
By stopping these seven unconstitutional election rules, Georgia seeks to maintain fair practices in voting and ensure a smoother election night.
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Campus Organizers getting out the vote in North Carolina!
Natural Disasters Aren’t Gender Neutral – Hurricanes Milton and Helene Prove It
MADISON MAIER | OCTOBER 24
Natural disasters don’t just ravage landscapes—they also expose and deepen systemic inequalities. Recent hurricanes, Milton and Helene, tore through Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, destroying homes, businesses, and the lives built across generations. While governments rush to repair infrastructure and restore housing, they often overlook the people most impacted in the long term—especially women, low-income mothers, and their children. These groups bear the storm’s weight long after it has passed.
Hurricanes Milton and Helene are no exceptions to this trend. Disasters like these reveal systemic vulnerabilities, with women, particularly low-income mothers, suffering disproportionately. Despite the urgency of restoring physical structures, disaster response frameworks rarely address the unique needs of women. Until aid distribution and disaster response incorporate gender-sensitive policies, this cycle of inequality will persist. It’s essential for relief efforts to include hygiene products, prenatal care, and safety measures that protect against gender-based violence.
In the aftermath of disasters, risks of gender-based violence often surge. Shelters become overcrowded, social services strain under demand, and women are left more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. This pattern is alarmingly common: After Hurricane Katrina, domestic violence reports nearly doubled, a trend that was mirrored in the wake of Helene. The 2012 report “The Hidden Disaster” found that domestic violence incidents rose by 53 percent after New Zealand's Canterbury earthquake, while physical victimization rates of women nearly doubled after Hurricane Katrina. From earthquakes in New Zealand to bushfires in Australia, women across the globe face heightened risks during and after climate-related disasters.
Yet, temporary solutions by governments and international organizations only patch the immediate wounds, failing to address the deeper, systemic issues that make women more vulnerable. Disasters highlight pre-existing inequalities, and the outlook for women is often bleak.
The needs go beyond housing. In the chaotic scramble of disaster recovery, shelters are seldom equipped to support those most in need, such as mothers with young children. Essentials like hygiene products, breastfeeding areas, and prenatal care are frequently overlooked, adding to the psychological and physical burdens these women bear.
As the 2012 report underscores, “Without long-term investments in affordable housing and community resilience, these vulnerable groups will continue to suffer disproportionately in future disasters.” Addressing this requires a radical rethinking of disaster preparedness and recovery. It’s time we acknowledged that women experience disasters differently than men. The path forward starts by prioritizing these differences to foster a more equitable recovery for all.
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Afghanistan Under the Taliban is “A Graveyard for Women’s Dreams”
AREZU FAYYAZI | OCTOBER 23
The Taliban has not stopped their aggressive efforts of restricting and regulating women’s lives. Late August of 2024, the Taliban released a 114 page manifesto that proved to be the “first formal declaration of the vice and virtue laws in Afghanistan since the takeover.”
Edicts in the manifesto include: a mandatory call for women to veil their bodies and cover their faces, women’s voices cannot be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public, and women are forbidden from looking at men they are not related to by blood or married to. Men cannot look at women either. The Taliban are adamant in referring to the restrictions on women as “protections” for them. The latest edict has restricted women from even having their voices heard by other women.
However, their actions are contrary to protections. The Taliban authorities have been using every tool to control and limit every aspect of women and girls lives. Women and girls have no rights, no freedom, and no autonomy. The Taliban has taken every freedom of choice from women, even the freedom to go out for a stroll in the park.
The announcement of the vice and virtue laws marked a dreadful milestone for many Afghan women. A Kabul resident said that, “I was still hopeful that the Taliban may change and remove the restrictions on girls’ education. But once they published their vice and virtue law, I lost all hope.” Another women’s rights activist said that “The entire country has turned into a graveyard for women’s dreams.” The Taliban need to be held accountable by the international community and the human rights of Afghan women must be restored.
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From left to right: Katherine Spillar, Lilly Ledbetter, former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and Eleanor Smeal.
Rest in Power: Equal Pay Advocate Lilly Ledbetter Dies at 86
GIOVANNA DESTEFANIS | OCTOBER 15
Lilly Ledbetter, a remarkable equal pay advocate, passed away at age 86 on October 12, 2024. Her journey began in 1979 as a dedicated employee at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where she worked for nearly two decades. However, it was her discovery of wage discrimination that transformed her life into a powerful movement for change and inspiration for the Fair Pay Act of 2009.
At Goodyear, despite signing a contract that prohibited discussing pay rates, Lilly’s life took a pivotal turn right before her retirement when an anonymous note in her mailbox revealed the salaries of her male counterparts just before her retirement.
Confronted with the stark reality of wage discrimination, Lilly took action. She filed a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and initiated a lawsuit alleging pay discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Even in her 60s, Lilly faced retaliation, being reassigned to physically demanding tasks, but she stood firm in her fight for justice.
Initially, a jury awarded her a multi-million dollar settlement, but Goodyear appealed the decision, leading the case to the U.S. Supreme Court Case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co . In 2007, the court ruled against her in a narrow 5-4 decision, stating that discrimination claims based on employer decisions made more than 180 days prior to hiring could not be pursued under Title VII. Until then, Title VII had been interpreted that an employee must report discrimination within 180 days of discovering the discrimination, not within 180 days of hiring. Employees could often not know within 6 months at a new job that they we being paid less due to their sex.
This ruling meant Lilly was denied the monetary compensation she rightfully deserved. Many women's rights leaders, including Feminist Majority President and friend of Ledbetter, Eleanor Smeal, traveled with Lilly across the country to advocate for equal pay. Lilly’s relentless efforts culminated in a significant victory when President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law on January 29, 2009, which strengthened protections against pay discrimination by overruling the Ledbetter v. Goodyear decision.
Smeal said, "Lilly Ledbetter was a champion for women's rights and made a difference in the lives of millions of women and girls – the fight goes on.”
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