Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It's politics week at newmoongirls.com! Women have started to be powerful political players this election, with Hilary Clinton nearly gaining the Democratic presidential nomination and Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. As the only female currently on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is another example of a powerful woman in politics.

Ruth is the second woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the country, made up of a Chief Justice and eight justices, all who are appointed by the President. Once appointed onto the Supreme Court, the justices serve life terms. They are only removed from their position by extreme situations such as death, or if they choose to retire or resign.

Ruth attended Cornell University for college, and then attended Harvard Law School. She transferred to and received a law degree at the Columbia Law School, where she later became the first tenured female professor. An influential voice of the Women's Movement,  she has been involved with several initiatives to advance women's rights and reduce gender bias during her career. She founded the Women's Rights Law Reporter, which was the first law journal to focus exclusively on public policy in relation to women's rights. She also wrote a law school case book on sex discrimination and served as the chief litigator for the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) women's rights projects. President Bill Clinton appointed Ruth to be a justice on the Supreme Court in 1993, where she has served for the past 15 years.

Check out newmoongirls.com this week to watch an interview with a female news journalist and read a girl's account of the Democratic National Convention. You can also read what qualities all of YOU want in a president and what questions YOU would ask the presidential candidates!

Are women facing a glass ceiling?

It's been exciting to see two strong women in this year's U.S. presidential race, first Hillary Clinton, and now Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Some people still judge women harshly for focusing on their career, thinking they should focus on family instead or fulfill more traditional gender roles. Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is an example of a powerful woman in politics who has been able to have both a successful career and large family.

Ms. Palin gave a speech this past Wednesday at the Republican National Convention. In her speech she made the statement “women can walk through any door in America,” referring to the opportunities that they are able to pursue. If this is true, why do you think there are so few women in politics and top positions in business? Are women less interested in these positions, or are they still facing a "glass ceiling" in these fields?

The idea of a glass ceiling is that there are invisible barriers that prevent someone from advancing into higher-level positions in their career field. These “invisible barriers” include factors such as age, race, and gender. Men are often paid more and favored for promotion over women. Many women also feel that they face stereotypes in the professional world, such as unfair doubt about their ability to lead and persuade.

Do you agree with Ms. Palin's statement? Do you think that women and men have equal career opportunities in America? Is a glass ceiling still present? Does a woman’s desire to pursue a family play a large role in whether or not she can have a successful career? What can women do to continue moving forward?

Guest Blogger Lacey poses a Women in Politics Friday Story Idea

Today, we have Lacey guest blogging for us. Lacey, busy managing the orb28 blog and NewMoonGirls.com, took the time today to write a beautiful post about the passing of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubb Jones. Lacey says:

I learned this morning that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubb Jones passed away Wednesday evening. Although I never personally met Stephanie, I can't help but be inspired by her ten years of political service in Washington and the way she rose from a career in social work and law to her seat in the House of Representatives. And because only 16% of our Congress is comprised of women, I have the utmost respect for each of them that represents us. I'm sorry that there's one less woman in Washington today.

If you have personal memories about Stephanie, Senator Hillary Clinton is collecting them at her website. I wrote about what a pleasure it was to work with Stephanie when she gave us an interview for our Letter to Congress website. Her passing makes the interview even more precious.

In honor of Stephanie Tubb Jones, I'd like to pose women in politics as a Friday story idea. Are there any women in politics that you particularly admire? How do you feel about the comparatively low participation of women in politics? What political issues get you fired up? Is it important to you that women be involved in politics? Why or why not?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Send us your comments and blog entries!