A few weeks ago, former Harvard President Larry Summers was rumored to be on the short list for Secretary of the Treasury. Well, if you recall what Summers said in early 2005 about women in science, you’ll know that this did not go over well with feminists around the country. While the media latched on to our outrage over his comments about women in science, we also recalled his comments about “under-polluted countries” and his connection to the free-market mentality that quite possibly got us into the economic mess we are in now.
On Thursday Politico reported that Summers is now off the short list leading one to guess whether or not this is a victory for the feminist movement.
Obama has had his ups and downs with the feminist community, showcasing once again that the community is not a monolith. This tension between the different sides of the movement does not look like it will call a truce now that Obama has been elected. There are many issues that feminists want to see addressed and addressed quickly including pay equity, ethically-sourced clothing, repealing the global gag rule, repealing the Hyde Amendment and appointing Roe-friendly Supreme Court justices.
I’ve heard it said many times that feminists took a vacation after Clinton was elected, from the looks of things, I don’t think anyone has booked their cruises yet.