Bay Path Students and the New Narrative of Women

Story contributed by Allison Zaczynski '20
The New Narrative of Women Video created by Kate Beebe '21

After the Vice Presidential Debate on October 7, everyone was quite literally buzzing about the fly. What stayed with me following the debate was the way female politicians were referred to in such a casual manner.

Moderator Susan Page at one point flubbed, calling now Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris by her first name, apologizing afterward. Vice-President-elect Harris responded saying that it is “fine” because that is her name. Shortly after in the debate, Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly used the phrase “AOC plus three” to refer to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Representative Rashida Tlaib, Representative Ilhan Omar, and Representative Ayanna Pressley. All five of these women were addressed or mentioned without their rightfully earned titles over the course of the debate.

Why is this a concern? These five individuals are making history as women of color holding political office. They are deserving of the same respect that every other politician receives, if not more for breaking barriers along the way.

My hope is that “The New Narrative of Women” includes women owning their titles, education, and skills. Women should greet people with their qualifications first. We need this new narrative because women are more educated than ever before and still being paid less than their male counterparts. More women than ever before were elected to Congress in 2020. Women are showing up and they are owning their power.