The politicization of gender

The “Year of the Woman,” averred journalists, as they discussed the upcoming elections in 1992. Record numbers of women candidates, lingering memories of an all-male Senate Judiciary Committee grilling Anita Hill, women outpacing men in voter turnout, 1 and an expected gender gap in voting preferences-all combined to convince pundits and politicians alike that women had arrived as major players in American politics. Of course, other election years had been similarly hailed; recall 1984, when Geraldine Ferraro was the Democratic party’s vice-presidential nominee. Past election outcomes, however, proved the label premature.