In the recent Swedish election, one of the various parties represented on the ballot was the Feminist Initiative Party. The aim of the party is to "drive through a feminist politics that for a world free of discrimination," and to undermine, "gendered power structures." In the weeks leading up to the election, it seemed that a party, strictly aimed for achieving equality for women had a chance of winning seats in the Swedish Parliament. Sweden your doing it right! Why can't we all follow Sweden's example. Their tourism website even advertises that "the modern Swedish man is a feminist." Unfortunately the party fell short of the 4% threshold needed to win seats in parliament. But this was an achievement nonetheless. A feminist party was able to attract the attention of the Swedish people and the world. This narrow defeat only shows that they will reach their goal in the future.
So we've established that Sweden's awesome. But there's another country following their example. Finland, France, Denmark? Nope! Much to my surprise, the United States may see the rise of a feminist party. Yes...the United States. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Lietenant governor candidate Kathy Hochul and former NYC Council speaker Christine Quinn, have launched The Women's Equality. The essential goal of the party is to pass the Women's Equality Act passed in New York state.
If they succeed in collecting 50,000 votes by election day in November, it will be recognized as an official party in the state. They will then proceed to push the passage of the WEA in January. One of the main leaders of the party, Christine Quinn, said the party was launched partly in response to the failure of the legislature to pass the "10-Point Women's Equality Act." Some of the points include, ending sexual harassment in the workplace, equal pay, stronger human trafficking laws, etc. In 2013 the bill passed in the state assembly but not in the legislature. This was due mainly to the request for stronger protection on abortion rights. Quinn stated that the party wanted to "codify Roe v. Wade." Many of the male politicians are willing to vote in favor of the bill, with the exception that they remove the abortion rights point. But Quinn insists that abortion rights is a key priority of the party. They have not received a single Republican pledge. According to Quinn, "We deserve full equality for women now. And come January, we're going to get it."
If the Women's Equality Party is legitimized and they are able to pass the Women's Equality Bill, then maybe other states will follow suit.
Sources:
- http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2014/sep/15/feminist-initiative-swedish-elections-gender-equality
- http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/womens-equality-party-pushes-womens-rights-the-ballot
- http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2014/sep/15/feminist-initiative-swedish-elections-gender-equality
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