Inspired By Conservative Women Leaders

I just got a really cool 2005 calendar from my boss featuring “Great American Conservative Women.” It inspires me. It really does.

Although I’m a big fan of many male commentators and conservative leaders, I think it’s important that women stand up to express and articulate conservative ideology as well. They have a different perspective than men do on a wide variety of issues, especially concerning the role of women in raising families, making an impact on society, being involved in community, etc.

Kay Coles James (not featured in the calendar, although she should be in there) once said: “Women can have it all – but not all at one time.” This spoke volumes to me because, as a woman, I sometimes struggle with the fact that I can’t do everything successfully all at once. But that’s how life is. There are different phases of life to focus on different things. This doesn’t mean that I can’t partake of all the wonderful things life has to offer – it just means that I can’t do it all at once. Thank you, Kay, for sharing this with me and so many other women. (Thank God for conservative female leaders!)

One woman who is featured in the calendar, and definitely deserves to be there, is one of my heroes: Phyllis Schlafly, founder of Eagle Forum and main opponent of the ERA. Ann Coulter (also featured in the calendar) wrote an article about Schlafly entitled Call Her Mrs. As I read this article, it confirmed what Kay Coles James said. Schlafly has successfully accomplished many great things. Yet, she’s always had her priorities in the right place. Schlafly’s life inspires me and challenges me to be like her. Here is the full article. Here is an excerpt:

“She was nearly the first woman ever to attend Harvard Law School – though it did not then admit women, Schlafly’s Harvard professors found her so brilliant that they offered to make an exception for her. (She declined.) Instead, she married, raised six amazingly accomplished children and later attended law school in her 50s – all while fighting the establishment in her free time. She is brilliant, beautiful, principled, articulate, tireless and, most important, absolutely fearless.”