Ellen Blindauer ’10 to Discuss American Response to the Wives of Unfaithful Politicians

Start Date: January 12 5:00 PM
This event is open to the public

The Brace Center for Gender Studies, in conjunction with  the Women’s Forum, presents an evening with student fellow Ellen Blindauer ’10  at 5 p.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the School Room, 3rd floor of Abbot Hall, on School Street in Andover. Blindaur will discuss her research on infidelity and politics in a report titled "Stand by Your Man: The American Response to the Wives of Unfaithful Politicians."  Blindaur's research was spurred by a June 2009 New York Times story about South Carolina’s Governor Mark Sanford—the latest in a string of high-profile politicians to come under public and professional scrutiny after committing adultery— which described a “ritualistically familiar part of American politics: the news conference on marital infidelity.” Blindaur postulates that the news media pursues the wronged political wives, but not all are treated equally. In her presentation, she'll examine why some wronged political wives are vilified in the press while others are praised as intelligent and strong? Blindaur will also explore the public's perception of these wives and what this perception says about our nation’s values.

The Brace Center for Gender Studies is an academic resource center on the Phillips Academy campus where students and faculty learn more about research on gender. Each spring, returning students are invited to submit proposals for fellowships to support independent summer research projects in gender studies, including multiracial and multicultural dimensions. The Student Fellows Series is presented in the fall and provides an opportunity for the fellows to share their research findings in a public form.