Artifact 17 - Political ad ignites conservative anger over women possibly hiding their votes from their husbands - NBC News

This voting season, there was a major gender divide amongst the voting populus. With it being an election with such heightened tensions, it’s no wonder that many relationships could be strained by the difference in candidate choice. However, this strain is largely not equally felt—women, particularly those in committed heterosexual relationships, are the ones forced into a potentially dangerous situation. Of course, then, they would hide their vote. This makes those with highly conservative views about female choice very angry.

As Gendered Lives details on page 186, the social dynamics surrounding heterosexual relationships are very clear on one thing: the man is seen as the dominant, more powerful partner who ‘should’ have the final choice in most matters between the couple. It is no wonder, then, that the women hiding their votes from conservative partners are terrified, and that the conservative men are furious. By lying and voting differently, these women are stealing back some of the power that the rightfully deserve in their lives, going against the grain of social pressures to be obedient. It is a precarious, but important precondition for change to occur to take on this risk. My heart goes out to all those women in this precarious position.