A Woman's Role: Conservative vs. Liberal
A Perspective of The
Woman’s Right to Choose
The
differences between the two parties concerning the issue of abortion are not so
much differences between political ideas, but rather differences in the overall
view of what constitutes the correct role of a woman in modern society. Too
often, there is a tendency to classify the issue of abortion as a black and
white issue decided merely by political affiliation, but the underlying
question is reliant on the way one views the role of a woman; as a fully
functioning member of society, or as a subordinate to the dominant male. When
viewed as a fundamental difference in perception of the role of a woman in
society, the issue of abortion becomes then not just a pro or anti stance but
an indication of one’s viewpoint about the entire role of a woman in society.
For a conservative, the ideal woman functions to provide
support to her man, she acts as the powerful behind the scenes moral compass
that the man leans on in times of crisis. She is the rock, the powerful voice
of reason that keeps her man centered, so that he can go out into the world and
make decisions, while she stays at home and nurtures. Think Nancy Reagan,
Barbara Bush, Ann Romney, and even Abigail Addams. They are all revered by
conservatives because of the support they lent their powerful husbands. They
sacrificed their chance at independence for the sake of helping their husbands
careers, and they were happy to do so, because they are selfless providers who
only want to give. To conservatives, women are strong wives, and loving
mothers. Mothers who are willing to make the sacrifices and channel all of
their energy into raising powerful men who will go out into the world. They are
imbued with a magical energy of femininity that expresses itself through
selfless acts of devotion to their children or their husbands. The ultimate
expression of a woman’s role is to be a wife or a mother. That’s why when
democrats made the statement putting
down Ann Romney’s ‘career’ as a mother, they were so vehemently attacked by
republicans. They were attacking the core values of what it means to be a woman
to a conservative. Rather than back off the statement as the democrats did,
they should have explained that from their perspective a woman can be many more
things than a housewife and that they were trying to express the sentiment that
women can be leaders and executors too.
Liberals view the role of a woman in a much different
light, they see woman as fully functioning equal members of society that are
free to choose whatever they want to do with their lives. To a liberal, the
ideal woman is fiercely independent, career oriented and not willing to
sacrifice her dreams for the benefit of her husband/partner. She can choose to
have children, or not, or both, and do it well. Woman can make decisions for
themselves, and are not at the mercy of the will of their men. Liberals view
women as powerful members of society in their own right, independent of
pressures placed on her by society or her husband. Think Hillary Clinton, Nancy
Pelosi, and Oprah. These women are in control of their own lives, they make
decisions for themselves and their husbands are equal if not subordinate to
their careers.
Yet, conservatives don’t view the woman as in control of
her own destiny; she is exclusively tied to the decisions and actions of her
man. A woman’s role is not to make
decisions for herself, that is the job of the man. He is the executor of the
relationship; the husband goes out into the vicious world, and is counseled by
his selfless devoted wife, but ultimately he is the one that is free to make
his own choices, not her. She merely provides the support for the man. The
complete opposite view of the liberals.
There is a much different trend in our society however,
as more and more woman are living up to the liberal ideal, not the conservative
ideal. There are huge numbers of men that are now stay-at-home dads, and women
who are the breadwinners of the relationship. Single motherhood is almost more
prevalent than married motherhood. Women are making choices completely
independent of men through actions like: having children on their own with the
help of a sperm bank, foregoing childrearing in favor of careers regardless of
their husband’s wishes. Certainly, there is still a great number of woman who
are subordinate to their husbands and are happy to be housewives, but that
number is diminishing as the number of woman making choices for themselves is
increasing.
Seen in this light, the issue of abortion now becomes
much clearer, not as merely a political choice, but one in which the core
values of an individual are expressed. It is fundamentally a question of what
you think a woman’s role in society is. As a conservative, the idea of letting
a woman make such an important decision that has implications not just for her,
but for the potential life she holds and her husband’s future is out of the question.
Women should be guided by their husbands in everything they do, so why would he
let her make such a huge decision on her own? And if he can’t make the
decision, or in other extenuating circumstances, then that decision should be
left up to society. A woman has no business deciding such important questions
because she isn’t even capable of deciding her own future; she has a supporting
role in the relationship with all decisions, especially decisions of
childrearing.
Conversely, for a liberal, the exact opposite is true. If
the ideal woman is someone who makes all of her own decisions and is imbued
with all the rights as a man, why on earth would we make this important,
crucial decision for her? She is intelligent and capable enough to know whether
having a child is the right thing for her, and certainly does not need the
government making decisions for her.
So the question of abortion really is a question of
whether or not you view women as full members of society, with all the rights
of men, or if you think that women should be subordinates and at the will of
their men or society. I can’t help but think, that if in some alternate
universe, where men were the ones who carried the child, this question wouldn’t
even be considered. It would be laughable to suggest that a man is not capable
of making a decision for himself in our male-dominated society, and the
question of abortion would be a non-issue. Men must be masters of their own
destiny, they cannot be stifled by the pressures of government or society, and
to even suggest such a thing would be considered an attack of his basic rights.
Yet, for a woman, who is considered a subordinate in all matters, there is no
question that she should have her rights limited at the expense of her freedom.
It is this philosophical difference that is at the core of this and many other
woman’s rights issues. Whether or not we view women as true members of our
society that enjoy all of the freedoms like everyone else, or as semi-free subordinates
that are subject to the will of a society that makes decisions for her.
