Has the women's vote caused this? Serious question with some nasty implications, but look at how our government has changed since that time.
There is an ugly truth to face there, that is clear. Never mind what is said, watch what's been done. From school systems that drug boys and push them out of the way so that girls can do better, to divorce courts that treat adult men like animals, there is a disturbing trend that suggests that -- at least in the West -- fairness to women is a much higher priority for men than fairness to men is a priority of women.
Indeed, 'fairness' may be too strong a term. There is a lack of basic human decency there that is alarming. One wonders how far it would be pushed if allowed to continue for a long time.
I have often wondered where the seemingly oppressive customs regarding women that we see in Muslim countries, India, and most of Asia come from. Things like that don't just happen, they arise in response to circumstance. It may be that we are witnessing a bout of The Circumstance. Perhaps this is just what happens when women get close to political power, and why so many human societies have evolved mechanisms to prevent it from happening.
Our government is, indeed, a government by the women as are all the western democracies. Switzerland was the last to succumb but the rot is setting in even there. Our governments, whether socialist or conservative, depending on majority votes, continually move toward the feminist positions and the nanny state develops apace.
While on the other side of the world, due to forced abortions and the "one child per family" policy, China is developing a very masculine culture that grows more warlike as the sexual balance grows heavier at the masculine side. A nation of Men is more warlike, more aggressive, and will probably dominate at some time in the future. A feminine culture such as in the USA and in the European nations, will not even defend itself because it psychologically must rely on an outside force for that defence, on a larger entity- the UN which is, of course composed effectively of the US and the feminized Europeans.
The masculine Islamic cultures are not really a long term threat because they cannot develop the economic ability to do anything about conquest. They must rely on infiltration which will fail as a policy in the end because the women do understand about the dangerous outsiders and will likely close off the borders eventually.
Giving women the vote would seem to be the deathblow to Western Civilization, but it is not so easy as a single act, even that act. As economies advance and societies get rich the women have greater and greater influence because survival no longer requires that they remain at home and in the fields having babies annually. They become active players in the econmomy and itellectual equals with the men because the society is rich enough. Even without the formal vote, wealthy societies that have conquered most disease and infant moprtality will be feminized.
And then there is China. Chinese expansion and competition will become more robust as the masculinized culture itself gets richer. Ending "One Child" tomorrow will leave the world with 20-40 years of Chinese masculinity.
Gives me an opprtunity to toss out a morsel for everyone's contemplation....
Has anyone else noticed how, in the bigger piture of the last 150-ish years of social and political evolution, white men constitute the only social group that consistently votes egalitarian? Every other group votes precisely in their pettiest self-interest. Whatever steers the most money and/or social power their way is how that block votes.
A canonical study in this phenomenon was NOW's withdrawal of support for the Equal Rights Ammendment, after it became clear that women would lose many social and economic priviledges had the law been passed. Because it was not in their immediate petty self interest, women voted against a law which would have codified the fundamental moral principle by which they justify their existence as a cohesive political entity.
Good question!! It could be true. Many women pay little attention to politics and politicians. They trust the advice of Oprah, Katie Couric, the local NEA, or any "strong" NOW actvist to whom the media give face time. Being easily swayed politically, many women also have very strong "herd instincts" - making them a great Voting Bloc! And with their preferred "minority status" there are politicians falling all over themselves to accommodate their wishes.