Over many years, society has questioned the true nature of women’s roles in the world. Whether that be the idea that women should act only as sexual objects for men’s filthiest desires to fighting for equal pay in the workforce, women have always had to fight tooth and nail for any power they may possess.
The fight has only grown in strength when we see the progress we have made as a society. Although the world is still far from equal, we have gone from women taking to the streets during the women’s suffrage movement to women entering and actively participating in the workforce.
However, similar to most things in life, change tends to lead to more change, and for some, it’s all too easy to see the adverse effects that surface in its wake.
Introducing the Novel Bowling Alone
The novel Bowling Alone, written by Robert D Putnum, states that social capital and engagement have decreased over the years. According to Putnum, there could be many reasons for the plummet, but one of the most compelling reasons for the decrease being the idea that more women are entering the workforce.
The evidence behind this notion was created by comparing the number of women who were housewives years ago to the growing number of women now in the workforce. What can be seen by looking at this evidence is that social interactions decrease with the increase of working women.
However, after making this claim and offering his statistics and evidence on why this may be, Putnum ultimately performs a 180 at the end of the chapter when he concludes that women in the workforce are not the real reason for society’s social decline.
Despite how authentic Putnum’s evidence may be, and although his argument makes sense in certain aspects, I decided while reading that I was tired of hearing about women’s topics and how they affect society through the eyes of men. With that realization, I sought out the opinion of a highly respected, hard-working woman, who I knew experienced both family life and working life with the hope of gaining a new perspective.
Ellie Espling: Former State Rep. of Maine
Ellie Espling, former representative of Maine and an active member of the Gray, New Gloucester community, fits this description perfectly. Affiliated with the republican party Espling served as the representative of Maine for eight years, winning the majority vote each election season until she could no longer run due to term limits. The former Rep. is also married with four children, all of whom I am honored to know personally.
To be able to gain this new perspective, I decided to conduct an Interview with Espling.
First, I described Putnum’s argument that women in the workforce may be a contributing factor to the decline of social engagement. From there, I asked a series of questions I believed would either support his claim or prove it wrong without revealing the fact the claim is taken back at the end of the chapter. By withholding this information, I hoped that Espling would form her ideas on the subject based on her personal experiences without the influence of Putnum’s conclusion.
“From your perspective as a former representative of Maine, do you feel like working ever made it harder for you to be civically engaged?”
“No, not really. I found the type of work that I was doing forced me to engage with different people I would typically not normally interact with. While I was in office, people would contact me regarding various issues, and it was never just from one party. I’d have people who were pro-something wanting to talk about a problem, as well as people who were against the same thing with their views and opinions on the issue.
Basically, hearing from various people with different ideas when working as a legislator led me to engage with more people within the community differently than I had ever before. Especially when it came to campaigning, where I would go door to door asking for a people’s vote, that was a huge way to engage with people that I wouldn’t have had access to if I didn’t run.”
What were some of the ways you’ve been civilly engaged while working?
“Usually, [we were most civically engaged] when we had significant issues come to attention that made the news. When these issues were brought to people’s attention, it motivated them to contact me as a legislator about those issues. It was primarily people who wanted to reach out because they had an opinion one way or another and wanted something to be done about it.”
Has anything you’ve learned and participated in while being the representative of Maine inspired you to be more active in your own community outside your job?
“Not specifically. Before I was in the legislature, I still volunteered in different ways. I have always involved myself with things such as the republican party while also serving as the chair of The Town of New Gloucester’s budget committee. I believe that I’ve always been a part of these types of things because I like engaging in the community. That want drove me to search for those opportunities to be involved regardless of my stage in life.
When the option to run for office arose, which I guess some people would have waited to run, that longing to be engaged led me to try and see how it would go. However, regardless of whether I won or not, I believe I still would’ve been engaged because there are many issues I care about in this community.”
How important do you think civic literacy is when participating in civic engagement?
“I certainly believe that sometimes you need a little bit of information to understand how specific processes work. However, I find the most significant barrier people face when wanting to get involved civically is feeling like they don’t know enough. I am always telling people that they’ll learn and that what they have to offer are their own perspectives and their own opinions and that is valid. What you bring to the table is a part of you, and that part of you is unique and essential in its own way, just like everyone else. That’s priceless, and I wish everybody could see that and engage.
However, the vast majority of people who have valuable perspectives are afraid to speak out because of society’s trope that we must know all to be successful. You can learn, and you can grow with time. But to not engage at this moment because you’re afraid you don’t know enough is a big problem. We should be encouraging people to rise up even if they don’t think they know everything. No one knows everything. We are all learning all the time. Based on this notion, I believe that it’s helpful to have some knowledge, of course, on anything you’re engaging in because the more you can learn, the better. Still, it shouldn’t stop people from engaging, and part of the learning process is being brave enough to do both.”
Do you think that a woman working in, let’s say, a corporate position has the same level of civic engagement as a woman working in politics?
“It’s just different. When I worked, I often engaged with people within the corporate world because they possessed a different perspective. Public policy has a bearing on any company, especially the more significant corporations. Thus, women involved with a company still have to engage with policymakers, for policies are often made directly impacting their businesses.
Essentially, although women working in the corporate world civically engage differently and on a different level than in politics, issues arise within the company that has to be discussed. When this happens, women within those companies contact me to discuss how those policies impact their business, good or bad. Of course, these women also reach out to policymakers asking them to create better policies as it makes their business better or prevents something from hurting their business. So yes, women are definitely involved [civically] in that way as well.”
Closing Remarks
After reading Putnum’s Bowling Alone and hearing a firsthand perspective on the issue from interviewing Ellie Espling, it is clear that what seemed obvious from the start, that working women are not the sole reason for the social decline in society, remains valid.
The issue has never been women’s empowerment. In terms of civic engagement, Putnum explains how it differs depending on the job, woman or man, along with one’s enthusiasm to engage. When you look at the bigger picture, most people working, regardless of the position, will find themselves civically involved in some aspect or another.
It is about time that women get a break from the constant questioning of the necessity of their existence. By doing so, we can shift our eyes elsewhere to find and understand the true culprit for the decline in social capital seen throughout the world.