Courtney Kidd LCSW

Courtney Kidd LCSW

Social Justice Solutions | Staff Writer
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Power To The People(Only Some Of Them Though)

I was asked this weekend whether I thought President Obama, or any politician curtails to minority populations in order to become elected. Absolutely. You see every politician must gain the approval of minority populations for a very specific reason. They are not minorities. We consider minorities the non-white, non-Christian, non-males of society. Well, the thing is, if you take all of those people and put them together, minority is a bit of a stretch. The power structure of any society relies on the belief that those in power represent the majority. Rich, white, Christian males were always deemed to be the case. The greatest fear of those in power is the knowledge that they hold the title by making others believe that lie, and should they become aware, power will be lost.

When we discussed how to break that cycle, how to break the stereotype, specifically in regards to women, the answer is both simple and complex. Get more women in office, into power positions, into leadership roles and it won’t seem abnormal. Make it the norm, and it will become the norm. It baffles me that in today’s age, women still receive less pay for the same job. It amazes me that child-bearing holds back careers. That we’re still talking about a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation as eligibility for office or rights is flat out ridiculous. Power is in who you grant it to.

Look at Lysistrata if you don’t believe me. Now, no one is saying that the way to break these taboos is to go on a sex strike, merely that women are able to upset the balance of power should we wish it. Social work is a profession dominated by women, you would think that this would mean that the majority of leaderships, directors, chiefs, CEOs of social work organizations would be women. Given the proportion, the statistics still favor men for supervisor/management positions. There is no evidence to believe that men make for better managers, yet here we are. Now what do we do about it?

By: Courtney Kidd, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer

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3 Comments

  1. Michelle Sicignano February 4, 2013
  2. 97socialworker February 6, 2013
  3. Lydia June 4, 2013

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