Stereotypical Women in Politics

I was hoping the talk on Molly Brown would focus more on women in politics as a whole during that time, rather than just Molly Brown's participation but I still found it very interesting. What struck me most after absorbing the presentation and articles is how stereotypically feminine women's roles in politics were. Based on the time period, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised but I still was to some extent. For instance, the women involved in politics would host and attend teas. That was one way to discuss the issues and get their point of view out there. However, it doesn't seem like a very aggressive tactic. Hosting a tea is a very feminine past time, it focuses on domesticity and passivity which were the traits women at this time were expected to have. The women presenting even pointed out that at this time the women's role in politics were as a host and in charge of hospitality.On a different note I did find it interesting that Molly Brown was quoted saying something along the lines that her campaign would be a straight man's campaign. This sheds light on the fact that she knew women were seen as not capable of holding an office and that the qualifications for that were to be more masculine in their campaigning. I assume she would have felt a pull between needing to maintain her femininity to a certain degree as to not make people uncomfortable when she didn't assume her role as a woman in the 1900's but also to not fit into the feminine stereotypes of being overly emotional and irrational which would highlight an inability to hold an office. Women operating in politics today still face that same struggle. There is a fine line they must tread on the border of masculinity and femininity and if they sway to far to either side it is a hay day for the media and every critical person watching. They must venture away from the female stereotypes while maintaining a feminine image and demeanor. After realizing this I think what I was most surprised to learn is that things aren't that different between 1900 and 2000 as far as women's roles in politics go.