Modern feminist rhetoric, promoted by the Women’s March, does not encourage women to take their own paths, nor does it encourage women to take control of their own destiny. Instead, it actually discourages women from using their right to bear arms, their right to make decisions about their own health insurance, and their right to choose how to set up their lives and their families.
Thankfully, there is another group of women who believe in a different type of empowerment.
This past June, many of them converged in Washington, DC at The Heritage Foundation to celebrate female leadership for the Network of enlightened Women’s (NeW) 12th Annual National Conference. It wasn’t the typical women’s conference where speakers emphasize ways in which women are disenfranchised throughout society, commonly touted by modern feminists.
Prescribers of this government-centric ideology demand that women entwine every major decision of their lives with government, like in The Life of Julia. Here, women cannot negotiate their salaries, own guns, or choose how to care for their families. They must defer all these items to the state rather than making choices about their own best path. Under this model, government deems which rights the people can and cannot utilize.
What they fail to understand is that government does not dictate individual rights; instead, the individual has inherent rights, and the government is supposed to protect them.
The leftist inclination towards state power is changing with the election of Donald Trump. Those who previously touted a grand role for the executive now fear the power of the presidency with a Republican in the White House complimented by a Republican-controlled Congress. To these members of the left: no one entity should ever have that much control over your own life.
Think about it for a minute—those who support more state authority ask a massive government entity with a history of unreliability in conducting social programs to take control over the most important parts of life. There is always the possibility that someone will enter that position who doesn’t align with your views. Thus, it is ridiculous to hand over so much power to the government. For this reason, female independence and freedom is the better way.
This idea of females having control of one’s self is directly aligned with conservative, free-market principles. Female empowerment derives from the ability of women to choose the life they want to live. In society, freedom and liberty encourage this path, not government control. Of course, non-discrimination laws are important and protect women from sexism and bias. Encouraging women to become leaders is also essential. However, placing the control of our lives in the hands of government is quite literally taking away the power to choose one’s own life.
A February 2016 YouGov poll found that only 32 percent of women self-identify as feminists, with 47 percent citing that feminists are “too extreme.” Another poll found that 82 percent of men and women believe “men and women should be social, political, and economic equals.” These individuals crave a better tone—a NeW tone.
At the 2017 NeW National Conference, attendees agreed with the idea that women should be social, political, and economic equals and seek to present a better alternative to modern feminism. These members from across the nation engaged with conservative women who have made significant strides in their fields, such as Representative Marsha Blackburn, Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, Counselor to the President of the United States Kellyanne Conway, Republican pollster and Co-Founder of Echelon Insights Kristen Soltis Anderson, and Chief Council to the Judicial Crisis Network Carrie Severino.
These diverse, conservative women may be considered by some to be outspoken or controversial. Agree or disagree with their political choices, one theme is undeniable: these women are outstanding leaders, and many have made history in their positions.
Conway is the first woman to successfully manage a presidential campaign. Kleefisch fought cancer while running for her first ever political campaign (and won!) Blackburn is the first woman to win a Congressional seat in Tennessee. They have contributed significant gains for women in politics, and they are not finished.
Through speeches and panels, these conservative ladies addressed the significant progress of women in the past century. They also acknowledged that women still have some fights to wage.
Notably missing from the dialogue, however, was the victim narrative that women cannot defend or take care of themselves or their families. The women presenting and attending the NeW Conference cared more about the values of life, liberty, and female empowerment to choose one’s own path.
As women of NeW, we reject government intervention into our workplace and families. We encourage and uplift each other toward happiness. We motivate people to pursue their dreams and believe in themselves. We are the NeW generation, and we are proudly here to offer a different course for empowered, independent women.
