Today's Women of Age

Lately my social media feeds have coughed up men who believe that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote because we are too empathetic, hence irrational, and prone to making bad decisions. “Pastor” Doug Wilson has come out on several national media shows saying he believes women should not have an individual vote and it’s time to repeal the 19th amendment. And in one of my Facebook groups, Craig came out in support of Wilson’s stance.

Now normally I do not engage with people like this, but I did today because Craig is of the opinion that women voting is helping “to destroy all that is good, true and beautiful” which is an absolutely shocking belief. I decided not to even touch that but stressed that women do possess critical thinking skills.

I think the real issue for conservative, “Christian,” Republican men like Doug, and I’m guessing Craig, lies in the fact that they don’t like how most women vote so that have to resort to trying to say we’re unfit, too emotional, too easily lead astray. According to them our votes are “bad” for the country.

Here are a few things they don’t like–more women vote for Democrats, particularly single women. Women tend to vote for issues that benefit society as a whole. “Almost immediately after women gained the vote, the U.S. saw a 35% increase in local public health spending and a surge in school enrollment.” Statistics seem to bear out that more women are drawn to social justice, racial equality, LGBTQ and trans rights issues and policies, than male voters.

So this is the “evil” empathetic women are falling for–the woke agenda. Treating everyone equal. Trying to secure rights for minorities. Supporting women’s rights. Trying to make sure folks aren’t discriminated against. Heavens to Betsy! And this is what a vocal white male “Christian” minority in the U.S. are railing against. Anything that doesn’t benefit them or erodes their patriarchal power is seen as bad, ungodly even.

The irony is of course that the Jesus they claim to follow is the epitome of compassion, empathy, love and justice. I have no idea how these men reconcile Jesus’s teachings with their version of Christianity. I’m guessing they don’t. They pick and choose scripture verses that suit their narrative, take some out of cultural context and ignore others.

So all this to say, having the quality of empathy, whether you’re a woman or a “beta” man, does not negate your ability to think critically and logically, in fact it could enhance your capability to see the bigger picture of an issue. Empathy is not weakness.

I personally see people who lack empathy as the bigger problem, the more dangerous problem. Case in point–trillionaire Elon Musk sees empathy as a fundamental weakness and that was apparent when he ran DOGE and decimated critical programs including USAID, which resulted in many deaths. According to CIDRAP, “more than 762,000 people have died as a result of those cuts, including more than 500,000 children.” Think about that. The richest man in the world knowingly cut a program that has and will continue to contribute to the deaths of many across the globe.

Back here in the U.S. I can guarantee if this government takes away women’s right to vote, they will have a fight on their hands. And Trump is trying desperately to do just that in a backdoor way with the SAVE America Act. If passed this act would make it significantly harder for married women who took on their husband’s last name to vote because of the stringent ID and documentation requirements.

Frankly I am so tired of these blowhard men who are so rabidly keen on trying to put women back into subservient, powerless lives with no autonomy or rights. And to do it in the name of Christianity is just sickening and twisted.

I, for one, will be voting this fall. I will be taking my empathetic little self who desires justice, equal rights and good governance into that booth and making choices that align with my values. How about you?