U.S. mothers remain politically marginalized

Marian Palley, professor of political science and international relations and director of the Interdisciplinary Women's Studies Program

3:03 p.m., May 3, 2005--American mothers have earned praise and respect for leading some of the most spirited, passionate and successful campaigns for social change in the U.S. and for playing a crucial role in national elections, but they are yet to achieve the same level of actual political power.

According to Marian Palley, professor of political science and international relations and director of the Interdisciplinary Women's Studies Program at the University of Delaware, mothers have successfully raised public awareness about major issues through such organizations as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), but it is important to remember that the majority of mothers also are active in other roles outside the home as members of the paid workforce.

“Unfortunately, women are underrepresented in all arenas of American politics,” Palley says. “Therefore, women and the issues that they may define as central to their concerns are marginalized. For example, issues of child care are of central concern to many women, and certainly to women who are mothers.”

The involvement of mothers in MADD underlines the fact that mothers are concerned about driving while intoxicated, especially because many such driving accidents injure, maim or kill teenagers. However, the political marginalization of women limits the moral authority they can bring to bear on such causes, Palley says.

“We put mothers on a pedestal. We love mothers. We respect mothers, but I don’t think that, as a political force, mothers are particularly powerful,” Palley says.

However, mothers have gradually become a major force in national elections, a fact that was emphasized during the 2004 presidential elections, in which 54 percent of voters were women, making their decisions a major factor in the outcome, Palley says.

“The data indicate that married women, many of whom have children, voted differently on average than unmarried women,” she says. “Put in somewhat different terms, 57 percent of married women voted for President George W. Bush and 42 percent voted for Sen. John Kerry.

“Among single women, 64 percent voted for Kerry, whereas only 35 percent of single women voted for Bush. If married women had voted in the same proportion for Kerry as single women, then the electoral outcome for president would have been reversed,” Palley says.

Palley points out that women who are mothers, like other members of society, have many differences and diverse interests among them and, therefore, the views, positions and activities of some of them cannot easily be defined as belonging to a single group.

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

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