What should conservative women want to conserve and reform, and why?
A group of conservative and liberty-minded women debate.
[Editor’s note: The following is a rendering of an internal conversation among a group of conservative and libertarian-leaning feminist women, in answer to the title question. The text has been edited for style and grammar but is otherwise left untouched. I believe many could benefit and learn from it; I know I did. — Avi Woolf, Chief Editor of Conservative Pathways]
[The Twitter handles of the participants are as follows: @viccsilver @sarahmquinlan @bkerogers @madbev14 @kmarie_22_]
Sarah:
To start off, I want to acknowledge that this is a difficult prompt because I can only speak for myself as a conservative woman. I definitely wouldn’t presume to speak for all conservative women.
Even then, it’s not so much that I as a woman have different priorities than conservative men — or conservatives in general — because I’m a woman. I support the same ideals as other conservatives, but perhaps because I identify as a feminist conservative, I have a different perspective on how best to accomplish our goals while simultaneously building our movement.
I personally would love to see the Republican Party return its focus to being the party in support of limited government, free trade, free market principles and capitalism, individual liberty and empowerment, small businesses and national security — with less focus on what the Democrats do or say and less reacting to what the Democrats do or say. At a time when people from both parties seem to point to the other as an excuse to drop their own standards, what we desperately need is an adult in the room.
E* [Name withheld on request]:
Agreed, Sarah. I don’t think that my priorities are necessarily different from most conservative men; they’re just informed from a different perspective as a woman. For the most part, I’m concerned about the same issues that men are, but there are certainly some issues where my lived experience as a woman and the fact that I also identify as a conservative feminist give me a different perspective than men may have.
I do think that as a woman, there are some issues that I feel more strongly about or prioritize more that other conservatives may not. For one example, there is a staggering number of women who have been incarcerated for crimes committed while defending themselves or against their abusers, and this in part is one of the reasons that I’m so passionate about criminal justice reform.
Vic:
Sarah and E raise some valid points regarding not having different priorities because they’re women, which is a respectable position to hold. However, I find my identity and lived experiences as a right-leaning biracial black woman directly influence the issues I focus and vote on, such as access to education and school choice in lower income areas, incarceration reform, marijuana decriminalization, mental health access and positive drug policies in areas of color. I also don’t consider myself a conservative, but a fiscal Republican, and I believe in free trade and small business solutions to build up and empower lower income communities. Socially, I align quite liberally.
Maddie:
Agree with those points. I don’t consider myself a conservative per se, but still pretty right-leaning, so I think my priorities may vary with those of conservatives in certain areas. Except for when individual liberties are involved, I take a more pragmatic approach.
For instance, I do support paid parental leave, something I admit isn’t “conservative” in terms of limited government. However, I think it’s a policy that helps to “conserve” family values because it helps both women and men advance their careers and still have families (if that is what they want).
Sarah also raises a good point about being a feminist and sharing the goals of feminists, but taking a different route that’s guided by her conservative views. This may be a good example of where we differ on how to advance the same goals.
Brooke:
One of the most essential tenets of the right is preservation of liberty and protection of individuals from by the government.
I believe women, people of color, sexual minorities and people of lower socioeconomic status are most vulnerable to government abuse. I agree with many on the left — and an increasing number of people on the right — in the existence of deep social and economic injustices. My belief that government cannot solve — and in fact nearly always exacerbates — these injustices is what draws me to small government mindedness.
I’m not socially conservative on the majority of issues. In terms of what’s worth preserving, I think preservation of the integrity of the Constitution is paramount to protection of our rights under the law. The Constitution exists to protect citizens from an authoritarian government. Without it, we’d have no lasting or meaningful safeguard against abuse.
But I wish that the right would be more aware of disadvantaged communities and shape its message based on what hope freedom can offer. I think the right is more invested in petty culture war victories and is failing at actually selling its message to communities that tend to vote Democrat.
Sarah:
I love what Brooke said about the importance of our Constitution, which was crafted to enshrine our natural rights and to protect Americans from overreaching government. One area that unquestionably needs significant help — and therefore much more focus — is our civic engagement and knowledge.
Katie:
Although I identify strongly as a conservative, I will admit to leaning very moderate compared to most young right-wing women. For example, like Maddie, I support paid maternity leave because I believe that it helps to conserve family values.
With that said, I am a feminist. Feminism supports conservatism because of their shared beliefs of liberty, justice and personal responsibility. These two ideologies can and should be allies in helping each other to conserve their shared principles. Although they may seem to be opposed to each other based off of what party has “claimed” them — even though I strongly disagree that a political party should be able to claim a movement like feminism that is about human rights, as human rights should never be partisan — feminism and conservatism both play a role in how our country views and treats people, which goes along with what Brooke said.
On a reform level, I agree with what everyone has said. Personally, one of the biggest issues that I try to raise awareness for is female genital mutilation (FGM). According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 100,000 girls in America are at risk for FGM. It’s illegal on the federal level, but it’s incredibly difficult to prosecute, which is why states need to individually create laws against it. If our government exist for anything, it’s to protect its citizens and they’ve been failing on several counts on that lately.
Sarah:
Vic raises an interesting point how her experiences as a biracial black woman affect her priorities and how she views certain issues. One of the areas where I think the conservative movement could improve is regarding its efforts to understanding individual experiences.
The experiences of women — in society, in the workplace and even in politics — are distinctly different than those of men — and even then, not every woman has the same experience, based on race, sexual orientation or religion. I think it’s unfortunately too easy to dismiss those with different experiences from ourselves or how those experiences affect them.
Vic:
I completely agree. Especially in the wake of the #MeToo movement, I’ve seen a lot of conservatives denouncing feminism, claiming it’s an anti-man witch hunt. Sexual aggression against women is a systemic issue, in our nation and abroad, and #MeToo extends beyond Hollywood and the Resistance, which is something I think certain right-leaning people are not considering. #MeToo is for all victims of sexual abuse, workplace misconduct, for all the untested rape kits in police stations and is not some trendy anti- male bandwagon. I know it’s not a widespread belief, but it is something worth addressing.
E:
This dismissal of individual, or even collective experiences — whether of women, people of color, sexual minorities, etc. — is one of my main issues with the modern conservative movement.
Katie:
I agree with Vic. The conservative movement does have a reckoning coming. The idea that the most important thing is “owning the libs” rather than putting together coherent policies that improve peoples’ lives is destructive to the movement and to the county. All of our unique experiences shape our worldview, which doesn’t deter or lessen the view of people who have had different experiences.
From listening to each other and being compassionate, we can understand the problems people are facing and work towards creating better policies that will help all of us. With #MeToo, a lot of my male friends were shocked at the sheer number of women in their lives who have been victims of harassment or assault that they never knew about, which is a testament to how powerful the impact of individual stories can be.
Sarah:
As conservative or right-leaning women, our belief in limited government is actually at the root of issues like criminal justice reform, such as advocating for police training reform or elimination of the death penalty.
My conservative principles are why I support movements like Black Lives Matter or the NFL protests, which — at their heart — are about life, liberty and justice for all, which are principles around which the conservative movement typically rallies. Even if I don’t necessarily agree with all the actions and personalities involved with the various movements, I can still find common ground with the overall sentiment and mission of these movements.
The conservative movement should be the first to condemn any arm of the government mistreating Americans, whether it’s civil asset forfeiture or police shootings. Actions such as police training reform — which ensures officers are equipped to de-escalate risky situations — will help keep Americans on both sides of law enforcement safe.
Maddie:
Sarah, I agree with that completely. Nothing brings out my inner libertarian like criminal justice reform. It makes me incredibly angry, frustrated and disappointed to see many so-called conservatives express apathy or downright hostility to criminal justice reform, BLM or football players taking a knee during the National Anthem to protest these issues. It ultimately poisons the conservative movement and drives young people away from it and I am just one example of that.
The GOP presidential primaries were especially disappointing in that regard, because I really felt like there was a bipartisan consensus emerging and growing that criminal justice reform was desperately needed. Now I feel like GOP politicians are deprioritizing the issue because they’re afraid of appearing to be “weak on crime” and of angering their base. Both parties face the issue of seeming “weak on crime,” and the War on Drugs was bipartisan; only recently did politicians seem to grasp the damage they caused. Then Donald Trump happened, and it seems like we’re shifting back to the “law and order” mentality, which is disheartening.
Vic:
On the subject of the NFL, as right-leaning people, we should all be outraged regarding President Trump’s involvement with the new anti-protest rule. If you haven’t been keeping up with Colin Kaepernick’s case against the NFL that he just subpoenaed Trump for, I implore you to do so.
Brooke:
I think conservatives need to become more aware of social issues like criminal justice reform — especially protecting sex workers, legalizing marijuana and completely reforming sentencing and the bail bond system and getting rid of mandatory sentencing. The War on Drugs, which cost us something like $1 trillion, has ravaged poor communities, especially communities of color.
I believe that strong families contribute to a strong society, and that the government has been systemically breaking apart families since the 1980s in the name of an expensive, unjust drug war should infuriate conservatives. The Democrats are far from irreproachable in this area, because it was President Bill Clinton’s 1994 Crime Bill that implemented the three-strikes rule, increased overcriminalization and ruined the lives of countless Americans. Conservatives, who purport to be pro-liberty and anti-authoritarian, should be taking up the mantle of reform.
In the same vein, ignoring the overwhelming evidence of widespread police brutality is shameful. We can support good cops who risk their lives and still understand that there are bad cops who are drawn to that career because of the power it gives them over others. In the face of abundant video evidence of police brutality and extrajudicial killings, I don’t think anyone can honestly claim reform is unnecessary.
E:
My belief in limited government is absolutely at the heart of my support for each of these movements that you mentioned. As Brooke mentioned, conservatives are supposed to be pro-liberty, and conservatism inherently recognizes government abuses, so it seems a natural progression to me to support significant criminal justice reform.
From a different perspective — we also purport to be pro-family, and countless families, particularly black families, have been destroyed because of senseless sentencing laws for non-violent crimes. We have staggering numbers of women who have been incarcerated because they committed a crime against an abuser or in the course of defending themselves, and this is an area where we need to do better.
In terms of the NFL protests — I am a conservative, and I support free speech. Whether you believe the injustices being protested are real or merely perceived injustices, I think conservatives should applaud players for using their platform to speak out against what they see as government abuse. Relatedly — and I think Sarah has written on this previously — forced patriotism is not true patriotism.
Vic:
As the ladies before me have very eloquently put, these all should be conservative and right-wing issues. We should be advocating mass police reform, but we are not. Instead, the conservative movement aligns with groups like “Blue Lives Matter,” and ignore the overarching theme of systematic overuse of force against people of color by the police. There should be mass advocacy encouraging clemency for non-violent drug offenders. Although the right should find themselves concerned with systematic inequalities minorities face every day, there is a willful ignorance in our party.
However, I hope with the Alice Johnson pardon that more conservatives will be inspired to advocate for criminal justice reform.
Katie:
Conservatives have seriously dropped the ball on advocating for issues that should be ours. When it comes to the War on Drugs, mass incarceration and how the government has torn families apart, this should be our issue. We have so many flaws in our criminal justice system that need to be fixed. The sheer number of wrongful conviction is horrific. On the death penalty, I’m committed to a consistent life ethic, but for conservatives to argue that the government is too powerful and that it should be limited and then turn around and declare that the government should have the power to end a person’s life is highly contradictory, in my opinion.
Sarah:
Women on the right often face criticism that they’ve betrayed their gender, but conservatism doesn’t fundamentally see women as inferior. Meanwhile, pop culture often marginalizes right-leaning women.
I worry about young right-leaning women who may feel actively driven away by the left but also ignored or dismissed by the right. Personally, I would like to see people on the left and right truly support women’s decisions, whether they choose to stay home, have a career, stay single or remain child-free. I’d like to see more recognition from the left that women are not a giant monolith who all think or vote the same way.
I want women on the right to realize they don’t have to settle. I spent the first 27 years of my life defending the Republican Party from claims of sexism or misogyny, and 2016 was eye-opening in that aspect, as I watched pundits, politicians and commentators I respected defend and excuse unacceptable behavior. I want women to know they don’t have to accept that. They can and should demand better from their party and from their role models. It’s better for the movement, the party and the country in the long term.
E:
I wholeheartedly agree that at best, popular culture marginalizes right-leaning women and at worst, actively belittles them. I resent the idea that women who hold limited government principles, or who are anti-abortion, or who have differing ideas on the level of government intervention necessary to advance women and women’s causes are somehow betraying their fellow women.
I also resent those on the right who fail to recognize the sheer amount of damage done when they ignore, defend or minimize sexism in their ranks. I don’t have a lot of great advice except to keep fighting for your principles. You don’t owe a party anything. Parties are simply vehicles, and we should never stop demanding better from them.
Katie:
Adding to what E and Sarah said, which I completely agree with: I do think the left dismisses me as being anti-women. On the other hand, I left the Republican Party because I could not be part of a political party that supports men who view and treat women in a disgusting manner.
It’s difficult to be a conservative and a feminist, but luckily we aren’t alone. There are so many conservative feminists, even if they don’t specifically use that terminology. The best piece of advice I could give to young conservative women is to make a place for yourself at the table.
You’ll probably be alone and that might mean you have to compromise and bite your tongue on things you disagree with. As long as you’re not abandoning your principles or compromising your morals, being involved and having a voice in the movement is ultimately much more important than winning every fight. You’ll face adversity, but the most important thing is to never stop speaking out and standing up for your principles.
Vic:
I think that Sarah said it all. The best advice I could give is to be loud, outspoken, and have conviction in your beliefs. You will find a community of like-minded people and hear different perspectives, even if you feel disenfranchised. It is better to be a political orphan than to be a partisan shill.
Maddie:
Sarah, you said it better than I could. I still feel so incredibly let down by the Republican Party and by conservatives who supported Trump despite his racism and sexism. Like you, I spent many years of my life defending the Republican Party from these attacks, and then they go and not only let me down as a woman, but make me look like a fool.
My advice for young conservative women is to look for role models and mentors like the ladies in this group rather than the women and men in the conservative movement who simply try to “trigger the libs” or stage ridiculous stunts for media attention. They are not who we should be looking to as leaders in the conservative movement.
Sarah:
There are more women who feel similarly than we realize. I hope each one of them feels encouraged and empowered to use her voice to advocate for issues she believes in and to help shape the conservative movement.
