How Carly Fiorina is redefining feminism

Following her two debate performances, Carly Fiorina—the only female GOP candidate— has emerged as one of the strongest contenders for the Republican presidential nomination. But what does her candidacy mean for feminism? She recently described a feminist as “a woman who lives the life she chooses. … A woman may choose to have five children and home-school them. She may choose to become a CEO, or run for president.” Resident Scholar Christina Hoff Sommers weighs in:

Fiorina has offered us…a model of female power that is free of the whining and pandering that has for so long plagued modern feminism. It’s also a model a large number of Americans could embrace, regardless of party or gender—and one that could give the face of Republican Party politics a much needed makeover. While the media struggles to decide whether Fiorina is or isn’t a feminist, it’s possible they’re missing that her candidacy represents the beginning of a postfeminist era in politics, where what matters is a woman’s opportunity, not adherence to specific policies or a platform built on “women’s” issues.

Fiorina-style feminism is focused on opportunity rather than grievance, and Fiorina’s own optimism about women’s progress fits well with it. Unlike previous female Republican presidential candidates like Elizabeth Dole, whose campaign slogan was “Let’s Make History” and who emphasized her experience not just as a senator but as a senator’s wife, Fiorina refuses to play either the traditionally conservative “wife-and-mother” card or the gender card.

Read the full piece: How Carly Fiorina is redefining feminism.

For more of Christina Hoff Sommers’ work on feminism, watch The Factual Feminist video series.

To arrange an interview with Christina Hoff Sommers, please contact AEI Media Services at mediaservices@aei.org or 202.862.5829.

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