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Women in conservatism in the United States

{{Short description|American women in politics}}

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{{undue weight|2=antifeminist women|date=October 2018}}

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{{Conservatism US|Variants and movements}}

Women in conservatism in the United States have advocated for social, political, economic, and cultural conservative policies since anti-suffragism.{{Cite book |last=Schreiber |first=Ronnee |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/646747864 |title=Righting feminism: conservative women and American politics |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-804418-5 |location=New York |oclc=646747864}} Leading conservative women such as Phyllis Schlafly have expressed that women should embrace their privileged essential nature. This thread of belief can be traced through the anti-suffrage movement, the Red Scare, and the Reagan Era, and is still present in the 21st century, especially in several conservative women's organizations such as Concerned Women for America and the Independent Women's Forum.

History

=Anti-suffragism=

File:Mrs. Arthur M. Dodge, Miss Alice M. Chittenden, Mrs. Horace Brock, Mrs. E. Yarde Breese, start the anti-suffrage campaign in New Jersey in May of 1915.jpg

Women first began to oppose suffrage in Massachusetts in 1868. They succeeded in blocking the proposal, and this caused the movement to gain momentum.{{Cite journal|last=Jablonsky|first=Thomas|year=2002|title=Female Opposition: The Anti-Suffrage Campaign|journal=Votes for Women|pages=118–129|doi=10.1093/oso/9780195130164.003.0008 |isbn=978-0-19-513016-4 }} The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage (NAOWS) was thus formed by Josephine Dodge in 1911 with approximately 350,000 members. This organization mostly consisted of wealthy women who were often wives of politicians. These women helped defeat nearly 40 suffrage proposals, and published the Women's Protest to voice their agenda nationwide. Dodge and the organization argued that women should stay out of politics to be more efficient and diligent in "work for which her nature and her training fit her."{{Cite journal|last=Dodge|first=Arthur|year=1914|title=Woman Suffrage Opposed to Women's Rights|journal=American Academy of Political and Social Science|volume=56|pages=99–104|doi=10.1177/000271621405600113|s2cid=145779019}} These antifeminist beliefs are what shaped the anti-suffrage crusade.

= Postwar Era =

In the early 1950s, local activist movements against liberal education reforms became an early source of organization for conservative women. As progressive school administrators attempted to desegregate public schools and implement non-traditional teaching methods, grassroots organizations run primarily by women mobilized to oppose these measures. Such organizations notably succeeded in ousting Pasadena superintendent Willard Goslin and Houston deputy superintendent George Ebey, attracting national media attention.Nickerson 2012, p. 86. Many conservative women were attracted to this cause, as the issue confronted several key principles for the emerging American conservative movement: traditionalism, anti-communism, and skepticism of big government. Women were well-positioned through their role as housewives to portray themselves as protectors of their local community and the principle of home rule against outsiders trying to radically transform children's education.Nickerson 2012, p. 101. In order to organize these local-level campaigns against education reforms, women activists created conservative political networks and study groups that would facilitate future advocacy of conservative causes.Nickerson 2012, p. 81.

Throughout the postwar period, women continued to be heavily involved in organizations of conservative activists. After campaigns against progressive education reform galvanized conservative women in the early 1950s, many began to join the John Birch Society and associated organizations after JBS's formation in 1958. While the John Birch Society maintained a rigidly patriarchal structure, with many chapters only allowing women to serve coffee and food at their meetings, the organization helped to direct attention and resources toward other conservative groups dominated by women.Nickerson 2012, pp. 140–141.

Among the conservative groups of the period, particularly in the hotbed of southern California, conservative bookstores were a particularly effective institution for channeling the activist energies of conservative women. These stores sold polemics, novels, memoirs, and bumper stickers, all with an explicitly conservative (and anti-communist) bent. Sales served to disseminate information and bring in money for conservative organizations. Many of these stores were staffed and run primarily by women, many of whom were affiliated with the John Birch Society.Nickerson 2012, pp. 142–147.

= Goldwater campaign =

A significant source of conservative women's activism was in southern California in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in Orange County, California. Female conservative activists organized around their opposition to internationalism, Communism, and the welfare state.{{Cite book |last=Nickerson |first=Michelle M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/769344471 |title=Mothers of conservatism: women and the postwar right |date=2012 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-4220-9 |location=Princeton, N.J. |page=33 |oclc=769344471}} These women mainly consisted of "suburban warriors," or middle-class housewives who feared that their Christian nation was under attack. Female conservative activists in southern California harnessed the preexisting culture of volunteerism and civic engagement, which largely revolved around women and their schedules, to mobilize for their causes.Nickerson 2012, pp. 38–39. Increasing Cold War tensions and fears of Communism allowed these women to mobilize groups such as the John Birch Society and the American Civil Liberties Union to pursue their political agendas.{{Cite book|title=Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right|last=McGirr|first=Lisa|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2001|location=Oxfordshire}} Many women first found political community in Republican women's clubs. The Republican Party of the time emphasized inherent differences between the sexes, and its sex-segregated local organizations provided a political network for conservative suburban women.

Conservative women, particularly those in grassroots organizations, supported Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater and successfully campaigned for him to become the presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 1964. Many women were mobilized in support of Goldwater's primary campaign after reading A Choice Not an Echo, a pro-Goldwater book written by young female conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. Grassroots activists, many of them women, were crucial to the conservative Goldwater's victory in the Republican primary over liberal Republican Nelson Rockefeller, particularly in the crucial state of California.{{Cite book |last=Critchlow |first=Donald T. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56982287 |title=Phyllis Schlafly and grassroots conservatism: a woman's crusade |date=2005 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0-691-07002-4 |location=Princeton, N.J. |pages=127–128 |oclc=56982287}} However, Goldwater lost the national election to incumbent Democratic president Lyndon Johnson in a landslide. Still, his nomination illustrated the shift from moderation to more hardline stances in many members of the Republican Party. His campaign also showcased the success of conservative grassroots organizations and mobilization.{{Cite book|title=The World of the John Birch Society: Conspiracy, Conservatism, and the Cold War|last=Mulloy|first=D|publisher=Vanderbilt University Press|year=2014|location=Nashville}}

= Equal Rights Amendment =

As feminist organizations, such as the National Organization for Women and ERAmerica, campaigned for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, antifeminist organizations run by conservative women mobilized to oppose the amendment. The ERA, stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex," passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate with overwhelming majorities in 1971 and 1972, respectively.{{Cite web |date=1972 |title=House Joint Resolution 208 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-86/pdf/STATUTE-86-Pg1523.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315001219/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-86/pdf/STATUTE-86-Pg1523.pdf |archive-date=Mar 15, 2023 |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=GovInfo}}{{Cite web |title=TO PASS H.J. RES. 208. -- House Vote #197 -- Oct 12, 1971 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/92-1971/h197 |access-date=2023-05-02 |website=GovTrack.us |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=TO PASS H.J. RES. 208. -- Senate Vote #533 -- Mar 22, 1972 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/92-1972/s533 |access-date=2023-05-02 |website=GovTrack.us |language=en}} Following congressional approval, the amendment needed to be ratified by 38 of the 50 state legislatures to be adopted. In the following year 30 states ratified, with most approving the amendment in the first three months. Given the considerable momentum behind the amendment, the ERA appeared certain to be adopted.{{Cite journal |last=Kyvig |first=David E. |date=1996 |title=Historical Misunderstandings and the Defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3377881 |journal=The Public Historian |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=45–63 |doi=10.2307/3377881 |jstor=3377881 |issn=0272-3433 }}

Soon after Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment, Phyllis Schlafly assembled a meeting of conservative women, mostly members of the National Federation of Republican Women, to form STOP ERA ("Stop Taking Our Privileges"). The organization was narrowly focused on opposing ratification of the amendment, claiming the ERA would subject women to the draft, attack the traditional family structure, and promote abortion.Critchlow 2005, pp. 218–219. STOP ERA established chapters in 26 states and successfully lobbied against ratification in state legislatures that had yet to approve the amendment. The organization mobilized many conservative women, particularly religious women, who were previously uninvolved in politics.Critchlow 2005, pp. 220–223

The movement to oppose the Equal Rights Amendment is credited with reviving the Republican Party after the Watergate scandal.Critchlow 2005, p. 214 Following Nixon's resignation, only 18 percent of voters identified as Republicans. As conservative women mobilized against the ERA, however, the Republican party was able to tap into popular discontent with feminism, abortion rights, and secularism by tying these issues to the movement to pass the amendment. The GOP and the conservative movement made inroads with evangelical Protestants, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and Mormons through the anti-ratification movement. The campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment, mobilizing women on the basis of their gender, brought new women into the conservative movement based on the social issues of the 1970s, rather than the anticommunist fervor of the early postwar era.Critchlow 2005, p. 220

The anti-ERA movement was successful in defeating the amendment, changing the Republican party platform, and shifting public opinion. STOP ERA and its allies ran strong state-level campaigns in battleground states, while pro-ERA groups focused on a national strategy that proved ineffective at winning over state legislators.Critchlow 2005, pp. 224–230. Conservative women focused on states with traditionalist public sentiments, such as heavily Mormon and Southern states, to prevent the ERA from passing, ensuring the ERA could not reach 38 ratifying states.{{Cite journal |last=Kyvig |first=David E. |date=1996 |title=Historical Misunderstandings and the Defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3377881 |journal=The Public Historian |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=54–55 |doi=10.2307/3377881 |jstor=3377881 |issn=0272-3433 }} By 1976, the Republican party abandoned its support of the Equal Rights Amendment, and by 1980 conservative anti-ERA women had succeeded in other goals, securing an anti-abortion plank in the GOP platform and helping nominate Ronald Reagan for president. At the end of the 1970s, less than half of women supported the ERA, and the effort to ratify the amendment was largely abandoned.Critchlow 2005, pp. 264–268.

= Reagan era =

After Goldwater's defeat, grassroots conservatives had to rethink their strategy. Thus, conservative women soon turned to Ronald Reagan. He won over the support of the women of Orange County and successfully unified the party when he was elected Governor of California in the 1966 election. However, there were some women that opposed him due to his more mainstream views. Cyril Stevenson, a prominent leader of the California Republican Assembly, sought to undermine his candidacy. These attempts failed, nevertheless, as Reagan was elected. However, a significantly lower number of women than men voted for Reagan when he was eventually elected President of the United States. Reagan gained the support of more conservative women by attempting to close this "gender gap." He enacted equal rights policies attempting to end discrimination laws.{{Cite journal|last=Chappell|first=Marissa|year=2012|title=Reagan's "Gender Gap" Strategy and the Limitations of Free-Market Feminism|journal=Journal of Policy History|volume=24|pages=115–134|doi=10.1017/s0898030611000406|s2cid=145256941}} Still, Reagan's election showed that the new Republican majority, although still coined "mainstream," was now built on anti-liberalism and contained more conservative views, and conservative women activists like the women of Orange County played a very important role in that shift.

= ''Mama grizzlies'' =

{{Main|Mama grizzly}}

The term mama grizzlies originated from Sarah Palin's endorsement of female candidates in the 2010 primaries, whom she gave this title to.{{Cite journal|last1=Gibson|first1=Katie L.|last2=Heyse|first2=Amy L.|date=January 2014|title=Depoliticizing Feminism: Frontier Mythology and Sarah Palin's "The Rise of The Mama Grizzlies"|journal=Western Journal of Communication|volume=78|issue=1|pages=97–117|doi=10.1080/10570314.2013.812744|s2cid=144139694|issn=1057-0314}} Mama grizzly was officially coined in Palin's May 2010 speech for the Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life group, and it was later used in Palin's own advertisements.{{Cite thesis|last=Zink|first=Jasmine|date=2012|title=Sarah Palin, Conservative Feminism, and the Politics of Family|url=https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/860|type=MA thesis |publisher=University of Montana}} This description is used to describe conservative women who wish to play an active role in politics, whether it be through running for office or through campaigning for conservative ideas and topics. These women also refer to themselves as Susan B. Anthony feminists,{{Cite journal|last=Conniff|first=Ruth|date=Aug 2010|title=Sarah Palin and the F-Word|url=https://search-ebscohost-com.echo.louisville.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=53277798&site=ehost-live|journal=Progressive|volume=74|issue=8|pages=14|via=EBSCO}} agreeing with the ideas that Anthony argued for such as political activism but not the feminist ideas more modern than those, such as the pro-choice movement. Because this term originated from Palin's endorsement and was used in Palin's advertisements, it has been linked to her and the Tea Party, which she has affiliated with. These mama grizzlies are self-proclaimed conservative feminists, with Palin herself publicly identifying as a feminist in 2008. In the spread of this new classification for women, where women's advocacy took on a unique form, Palin called for a rise of a new breed of feminism,{{Cite journal|last=Pollitt|first=Katha|date=2010|title=Grisly Mamas|url=https://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=84dd02f6-128b-4151-917c-ea253a8db6ca%40pdc-v-sessmgr01|journal=Nation|volume=291|issue=5 & 6|pages=9}} and this idea quickly came to popularity among right-wing women.

Conservative women played a key role in the Tea Party movement, often adopting populist rhetoric reminiscent of the "housewife populism" of the 1950s and 1960s. These women, most notably Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, attacked Barack Obama as an outsider and claimed to represent the interests of "Joe Six Pack." This brand of populism rose to prominence in the first two years of Obama's presidency, from 2008 to 2010, culminating in the Tea Party. Women were integral to the movement, as they represented 45 to 55 percent of the members of Tea Party organizations and held a majority of leadership positions.Nickerson 2012, pp. 173–174.

Critics of the mama grizzly viewpoint do not agree that Palin's ideas are feminist, such as her anti-abortion views.{{Cite journal|last=Rodino-Colocino|first=Michelle|date=Spring 2012|title=Man Up, Woman Down: Mama Grizzlies and Anti-Feminist Feminism during the Year of the (Conservative) Woman and Beyond.|url=https://search-ebscohost-com.echo.louisville.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=84559642&site=ehost-live|journal=Women & Language|volume=35|issue=1|pages=79–95|via=EBSCO}} Palin's viewpoint has been opposed by socially liberal feminists, with some, such as Jessica Valenti claiming that this angle was used to take advantage of the presence of feminists like Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential election cycle.{{Cite journal|last=Valenti|first=Jessica|title=Who Stole Feminism?|url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=54094732&site=ehost-live|journal=Nation|volume=291|issue=16|pages=18–20}} Other complaints draw from the group's denial of systemic sexism and oppression due to gender, with critics believing that mama grizzly ideals could not be labeled as feminist if they were to dismiss these matters.{{Cite journal|last=McCarver|first=Virginia|date=Spring 2012|title=The New Oxymoron: Socially Conservative Feminism|url=https://search-ebscohost-com.echo.louisville.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=77928146&site=ehost-live|journal=Women & Language|volume=35|issue=1|pages=57–76|via=EBSCO}}

= Trump era =

Republican President Donald Trump received the support of many conservative women, with groups such as Women for Trump backing his presidency. In the 2016 presidential election, according to exit poll data, 41% of women voted for Trump, as opposed to 54% of women who voted for Hillary Clinton.{{cite news|last=Pousoulides|first=Stefanie|title=Trump said 52% of women voted for him in 2016. That's misleading. It refers only to white women|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/jun/20/donald-trump/trump-said-52-women-voted-him-2016-s-misleading-re/|work=Politifact|date=20 June 2019}} In the 2020 presidential election, Trump's support among women increased slightly, as he received 42% of women's vote, a 1% increase from the previous election.{{cite news|title=National Results 2020 Presidential Election Polls|url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results|work=CNN|date=November 2020}}

In 21st-century politics

= #MeToo Movement =

When the #MeToo movement surfaced, some conservatives embraced antifeminist ideas to combat it.{{Cite journal |last1=Boyle |first1=Karen |last2=Rathnayake |first2=Chamil |date=2020-11-16 |title=#HimToo and the networking of misogyny in the age of #MeToo |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2019.1661868 |journal=Feminist Media Studies |volume=20 |issue=8 |pages=1259–1277 |doi=10.1080/14680777.2019.1661868 |issn=1468-0777}} Some researchers have investigated the connection between political ideology and the perception of sexual harassment, finding that, in a survey of women, the number of instances of gender discrimination and sexual harassment reportedly experienced by conservative women is significantly lower than that for liberal women.{{Cite journal |last1=Gothreau |first1=Claire M. |last2=Warren |first2=Clarisse |last3=Schneider |first3=Stephen |date=2022-06-01 |title=Looking the other way: how ideology influences perceptions of sexual harassment |url=https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/ejpg/5/2/article-p211.xml |journal=European Journal of Politics and Gender |language=en |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=211–231 |doi=10.1332/251510821X16445951244136 |issn=2515-1088|doi-access= }} Additionally, some research has found that political participation and the likelihood of voting in general elections are higher for women who have experienced gender discrimination, but that this finding is not a factor associated with this desire for participation among conservative women.{{Cite journal |last=Bankert |first=Alexa |date=November 2020 |title=Let's Talk About Sexism: The Differential Effects of Gender Discrimination on Liberal and Conservative Women's Political Engagement |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1532673X20939503 |journal=American Politics Research |language=en |volume=48 |issue=6 |pages=779–791 |doi=10.1177/1532673X20939503 |issn=1532-673X}} There is also a significant gap in support for the #MeToo movement along party lines, as Democratic women report higher levels of support than Republican women.{{Cite web |last=Chavda |first=Janakee |date=2022-09-29 |title=More Than Twice as Many Americans Support Than Oppose the #MeToo Movement |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/09/29/more-than-twice-as-many-americans-support-than-oppose-the-metoo-movement/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project |language=en-US}}

There are mixed feelings towards the #MeToo movement from conservative women. Candace Owens, an outspoken conservative, tweeted back in 2018 that #MeToo painted women as "stupid, weak & inconsequential."{{Cite tweet |title=The entire premise of #metoo is that women are stupid, weak & inconsequential. Too stupid to know what men might want if you come to their hotel room late at night. Too weak to turn around and tell someone not to touch your ass again. Too inconsequential to realize this. |user=RealCandaceO |number=1006278364708077569 |access-date=2023-03-26 |last=Owen |first=Candace}} Other conservative women, such as Mona Charen, have shared different sentiments, calling out the "hypocrites" in the Republican Party "who brag about their extramarital affairs" and "brag about mistreating women."{{Cite tweet |title=Mona Charen bravely discusses the hypocrisy against women in the WH at #ustoo panel during @CPAC [...] She specifically mentions the Roy Moore endorsement. Audience boos. |user=in_a_tesseract |number=967496396927586305 |access-date=2023-03-26 |author=Scout}}

= Michele Bachmann =

Michele Bachmann unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president in the 2012 election. Although Bachmann attempted to utilize conservative views that appeal to the Tea Party movement, the media's coverage of her was very different from her male candidates. The media instead focused on her migraines, her marriage, and her hair and makeup style choices.{{Cite journal|last1=Bystrom|first1=Dianne|last2=Dimitrova|first2=Daniela V.|year=2013|title=Migraines, Marriage, and Mascara: Media Coverage of Michele Bachmann in the 2012 Republican Presidential Campaign|journal=American Behavioral Scientist|volume=58|issue=9|pages=1169–1182|doi=10.1177/0002764213506221|s2cid=146888851}} However, her campaign started strongly, as she performed well in the first presidential debate and soon led in the primary polls. Bachmann was forced to drop out of the race after her poor performance in the Iowa caucuses.{{Cite journal|last1=Greenwood|first1=Molly M.|last2=Coker|first2=Calvin R.|year=2016|title=The political is personal: analyzing the presidential primary debate performances of Hillary Clinton and Michele Bachmann|journal=Argumentation and Advocacy|volume=52|issue=3|pages=165–180|doi=10.1080/00028533.2016.11821868|s2cid=28145283}} Still, many conservative women continue to support her, and this support along with that of Sarah Palin in 2008 has showed that conservatives now seriously consider women for major political roles. Bachmann's run also sparked the debate of women's role in politics and public policy, and whether or not gender roles should be reexamined.{{Cite journal|last=Schreiber|first=Ronnee|year=2016|title=Gender Roles, Motherhood, and Politics: Conservative Women's Organizations Frame Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann|journal=Journal of Women, Politics & Policy|volume=27|pages=1–23|doi=10.1080/1554477X.2016.1115319|s2cid=147425912}}

File:Carly Fiorina by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg

= Carly Fiorina =

Carly Fiorina began as a successful businesswoman, becoming the CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 1999. However, Fiorina was fired from her position in 2005 due to a number of factors such as economic conditions, operational failures, gender bias, and questionable ethics.{{Cite journal|last=Johnson|first=Craig|year=2008|title=The Rise and Fall of Carly Fiorina: An Ethical Case Study|journal=Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies|volume=15|issue=2|pages=188–196|doi=10.1177/1548051808320983|s2cid=145194793}} Fiorina turned to politics and won the Republican nomination for senator of California in 2010, but lost to incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer. She quickly gathered acclaim from the Republican base, and was appointed chair of the American Conservative Union Foundation in 2013.{{Cite journal|last=Stewart|first=Alan|year=2016|title=Fiorina, Carly|journal=Encyclopædia Britannica Online}} In 2015, she announced her candidacy for President of the United States. Although she was the only viable female candidate in the Republican primary, she was reluctant to indulge in gender politics, due to both her conservative and corporate personas.{{Cite journal|last=Caughell|first=Leslie|year=2016|title=When Playing the Woman Card is Playing Trump: Assessing the Efficacy of Framing Campaigns as Historic|journal=PS, Political Science & Politics|volume=49|issue=4|pages=736–742|doi=10.1017/S1049096516001438|doi-access=free}} Fiorina dropped out of the race in February 2016 to endorse Ted Cruz, and soon became his running mate.

File:Sarah Palin portrait.jpg

= Sarah Palin =

In 2010, Sarah Palin, whose nomination to run for Vice President with Republican presidential candidate John McCain was a visible ascent of a conservative woman in 2008, declared a new voice for those women and supported many women for Congress whom she labeled mama grizzlies.{{Cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/what-does-mama-grizzly-really-mean-72001|title=What Does 'Mama Grizzly' Really Mean?|date=2010-09-27|newspaper=Newsweek|access-date=2016-12-17}} Many supported Palin because of her stances against abortion and other issues that defy feminists; her "soccer mom" persona also was very appealing.{{Cite journal|last1=Sharrow|first1=Elizabeth A.|last2=Strolovitch|first2=Dara Z.|last3=Heaney|first3=Michael T.|last4=Masket|first4=Seth E.|last5=Miller|first5=Joanne M.|year=2016|title=Gender Attitudes, Gendered Partisanship: Feminism and Support for Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton among Party Activists|url=http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_sharrow/1|journal=Journal of Women, Politics & Policy|volume=37|issue=4|pages=394–416|doi=10.1080/1554477x.2016.1223444|s2cid=151690764}} Palin and McCain eventually lost the general election.{{Cite journal|last1=Brox|first1=Brian J.|last2=Cassels|first2=Madison L.|year=2009|title=The Contemporary Effects of Vice-Presidential Nominees: Sarah Palin and the 2008 Presidential Campaign|journal=Journal of Political Marketing|volume=8|issue=4|pages=349–363|doi=10.1080/15377850903263870|s2cid=145664583}}

= Nikki Haley =

File:Nikki Haley official portrait.jpg

Nikki Haley is an Indian-American conservative politician. She served as South Carolina's first female governor from 2011 to 2018, and also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2018.{{Cite web |title=Nikki Haley {{!}} Biography, 2024 Election, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikki-Haley |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}} She was a candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries facing Trump, among other candidates. She suspended her campaign on March 6, 2024 following losses on Super Tuesday. Haley became the first Republican women to ever win a Presidential primary, winning the D.C. primary, followed by the state of Vermont. {{Cite web|last=Venugopal Ramaswamy |first=Swapna|title=Nikki Haley's 2024 presidential campaign may be over, but it still made history. Here's how.|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/06/nikki-haley-historic-run-us-presidency/72843645007/|access-date=2024-03-08|website=www.usatoday.com |language=en}} In the 2024 primary, she was the last remaining challenger to Donald Trump, where she represented traditional conservative views, with a campaign focused on foreign policy, term limits and mental competency tests, and the economy. {{Cite web|title=Nikki Haleyon the Issues|url=https://ontheissues.org/nikki_haley.htm|access-date=2024-03-08|website=www.usatoday.com |language=en}} Haley is the second highest vote-getting woman to run for President, second only to Hillary Clinton.

Notable figures

File:Ann Coulter by Gage Skidmore.jpg

= Ann Coulter =

As a political commentator, Ann Coulter has written numerous books and columns, and often appears as a political commentator on conservative television, she is one of the most recognizable and influential voices for conservative women today, as she has started many conservative political trends such as the continual critique of mainstream liberalism.{{Cite journal|last1=Chambers|first1=Samuel|last2=Finlayson|first2=Alan|year=2008|title=Ann Coulter and the Problem of Pluralism: From Values to Politics|url=http://www.borderlands.net.au/vol7no1_2008/chambersfinlay_pluralism.htm|journal=Borderlands|volume=7}}

= Phyllis Schlafly =

File:Phyllis Schlafly by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped).jpg

As a conservative, Phyllis Schlafly argued that the female gender is actually privileged, and that women have "the most rights and rewards, and the fewest duties."{{Cite book|title=Feminist Fantasies|last=Schlafly|first=Phyllis|publisher=Spence Publishing Company|year=2003}} She advocated for women to stay out of politics and the workplace. She argued against feminists and claimed that they actually take away rights from women. She thus led the opposition against the Equal Rights Amendment, and successfully prevented the amendment from being ratified by the required number of states before the ratification deadline set by the Congress.{{Cite journal|last=Osgood|first=Kenneth|year=2009|title=Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservativism|journal=American Communist History|volume=8|pages=127–129|doi=10.1080/14743890902830667|s2cid=162402116}} Schlafly argued that the amendment stripped women of what she saw as their special "privileges." She saw it as anti-Christian and argued that it promoted policies such as abortion, sex education, and LGBTQ rights. She also claimed that it would give power to federal courts and take power away from the states.{{Cite book|title=Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade|last=Critchlow|first=Donald T.|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2005|location=Princeton}}

File:The Swearing-in Ceremony of the Honorable Amy Coney Barrett (50538235202).jpg

= Amy Coney Barrett =

Amy Coney Barrett is a Supreme Court justice who was nominated and sworn in under the Trump administration after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's passing.{{Cite web |title=Biography: Amy Coney Barrett |url=https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/amy-coney-barrett |access-date=2023-03-06 |website=National Women's History Museum |language=en}} Her nomination and eventual confirmation secured the conservative majority on the Court.{{Cite news |last1=Hurley |first1=Lawrence |last2=Chung |first2=Andrew |last3=Hurley |first3=Lawrence |date=2021-07-02 |title=Analysis: Barrett finds own voice at center of conservative U.S. Supreme Court |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/barrett-finds-own-voice-center-conservative-us-supreme-court-2021-07-02/ |access-date=2023-04-10}} Barrett leans more conservative on issues pertaining to abortion, gun, and other civil rights,{{Cite web |last=Thomson-DeVeaux |first=Amelia |date=2020-10-14 |title=How Conservative Is Amy Coney Barrett? |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-conservative-is-amy-coney-barrett/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=FiveThirtyEight |language=en-US}} such as in the case of Kanter v. Barr, where Barrett explained that the right to bear arms should not be taken away from anyone but those convicted of dangerous felonies.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Carrie |date=October 9, 2020 |title=Gun Control Groups Voice 'Grave Concerns' About Supreme Court Nominee's Record |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/10/09/921713631/gun-control-groups-voice-grave-concerns-about-supreme-court-nominee-s-record |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=National Public Radio}} Additionally, in June 2022, Barrett voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court case, which removed national protections for abortion services.{{Cite web |title=Who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and who voted to uphold it |url=https://www.today.com/news/news/scotus-justices-roe-wade-abortion-votes-rcna35229 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}

= Other figures =

==Academia==

==Arts==

==Business and law==

==Politics==

==Miscellaneous==

Organizations

= Concerned Women for America =

Concerned Women for America is a religious organization that seeks to promote Christian values. The group was founded in 1979 by Beverly LaHaye, wife of prominent evangelical Christian minister Tim LaHaye, as part of the movement to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment.Schreiber 2008, p. 30. CWA's ideology is social conservatism, and the group has been labelled as antifeminist.Schreiber 2008, pp. 31, 38, 49, 50, 54, 57–60, 81–84. LaHaye founded the group, in part, to contest the claims of feminists to represent all women. Their agenda includes stopping the "decline in moral values of our nation,"{{Cite web|url=http://concernedwomen.org/|title=Concerned Women for America|website=concernedwomen.org|access-date=2016-12-17}} restricting access to pornography, defunding the United Nations, defining the family as heterosexually led, opposing abortion, and advocating for prayer in schools.

Concerned Women for America primarily operates as a grassroots organization, with a membership of approximately 500,000.Schreiber 2008, p. 26. The group organizes prayer groups for women across the country, and encourages members to contact their representatives to advocate for conservative causes. The group also uses the revenue it generates from membership fees to operate an office in Washington, D.C., which serves as a headquarters for the group's lobbying and research operations.Schreiber 2008, p. 32.

= Independent Women's Forum =

The Independent Women's Forum is an organization based more in fiscal conservatism. The IWF was formed in 1992 by members of Women for Judge Thomas, a group dedicated to supporting Clarence Thomas' confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice, and the Women's Information Network. The IWF was organized explicitly to prevent left-wing women from speaking on behalf of their sex, particularly in the wake of the Clarence Thomas hearings and the Year of the Woman.Schreiber 2008, p. 45. Its agenda includes opposition to the Violence Against Women Act, supporting the war in Iraq and women's rights there, challenging feminist professors on college campuses, opposing affirmative action, and other fiscal conservative policies. However, IWF is more based in libertarianism than the Republican Party since they strive for economic freedom. IWF in 2003 had approximately 1,600 members.{{Cite journal|last=Spindel|first=Barbara|year=2003|title=Conservatism as the "Sensible Middle": The Independent Women's Forum, Politics, and the Media|journal=Social Text|volume=21|issue=4|pages=99–125|doi=10.1215/01642472-21-4_77-99|s2cid=144134935}}

Composed primarily of female political professionals, the group focuses on media appearances, publishing research reports, and helping female members earn Cabinet positions. Schreiber 2008, pp. 34–35. However, the IWF does not promote female candidates for elected office, claiming these efforts are a form of identity politics.Schreiber 2008, pp. 51–52.

= Elevate PAC =

Elevate PAC is a political action committee created by Elise Stefanik after the 2018 midterm elections to bolster support for female conservative candidates during their primaries.{{Cite web |title=Elevate PAC – Engage, Empower, Elevate. |url=https://elevate-pac.com/our-candidates/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Elevate PAC – Engage, Empower, Elevate. |language=en-US}} Since then, EPAC has backed 61 conservative women candidates, 27 of whom have won their respective elections.

= Other organizations =

See also

{{portal|Conservatism}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=47768 Top 10 Most Influential Conservative Women in America]{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Category:Conservatism in the United States

Category:American women in politics

Category:Women in the United States