February 2025
By Jacqueline Cruz and Kayla Randel
Elections have an important role in determining legislation that affect women’s lives. The 2024 US election has highlighted a number of topics that affect women directly and indirectly, ranging from reproductive rights to economic policy and social equality. These effects vary greatly depending on individual situations, yet similar patterns appear in areas such as healthcare, workplace interactions, and others.
We examine the particular effects of the election on women in our own academic community in this series of interviews, illuminating their worries, experiences, and the wider ramifications for gender dynamics in our learning environment.
We have learned a lot about the opinions of women at KAC on the 2024 election through a number of interviews. We hope to provide our community a thorough understanding of their experiences and perspectives by interviewing two faculty members at our school.
“After hearing about the election results, what was your first reaction and why?”
Amber Corral, AP US History and AP Psychology teacher: “My initial result was fear, also sadness. And my initial reaction was to go to sleep and wake up in the morning. Hopefully it was a dream. it wasn’t the result that I felt was good for myself and my family. I also felt like it wasn’t a result that was good for the population of kids that I teach every day, the communities that I work with, and so it made me reflect on how big of an impact these elections can have on not only just our future, but what’s happening within the next couple of years.“
Erica Massey, AP Human Geography teacher: “I was deeply surprised and disappointed and almost in a state of shock, because it just didn’t seem to act like an accurate reflection of how citizens of the United States feel. I was beginning to actually go to the point where I was questioning the Fairness and Accuracy of our election system, because it just made no sense to me.”
“What are you most concerned about for the upcoming president’s term?”
Corral: “I think that the President has a bigger impact than we think on what education could look like for the future, and even like college education. I’m concerned about Texas because the Texas Legislature is also changing this year, and so even as like, at a state and local level. I am worried about the state of like immigration and immigrants in America, and I’m also worried about male and female relationships, because there’s a lot of laws that are preventing women to have adequate access to health care as well as to be have agency over their bodies.”
Massey: “Worried about the slow but obvious dismantling of the rights of women and minorities. Worried about them being taken away, and our voices not being heard, or even us being persecuted for sharing opinions that might be different from what the government or the narrative that the government puts out.”
“Do you feel that your concerns as a woman were adequately addressed in this election?”
Corral: “I will say that my concerns as a Hispanic female were not adequately addressed. There are a lot of like so because the Trump campaign ran basically on patriarchal white supremacist ideologies, those do cater more towards a certain type of white woman and it probably caters to them more than to any other type of white woman.”
Massey: “No, not at all by the Democratic Party, yes, by the Republican Party. No.”
“How do you think the election results will affect women?”
Corral: ”I think what will happen is one we already saw the repeal of Roe v. Wade significantly impacted abortion and healthcare rights in America, and further Supreme Court decisions could similarly affect women. For instance, if Loving v. Virginia—the case that legalized interracial marriage—were overturned, it would directly limit personal freedoms, including those of women in interracial relationships. Additionally, regressive health care policies could resurface, echoing the 1950s when women often needed their husband’s permission for medical care. Such changes could push women back into a time of diminished autonomy over their health and rights”
Massey: “I think women will feel discouraged or even scared to speak out and stand up for themselves, because, again, there is that narrative of maybe even feeling persecuted for sharing their opinions, and women and minorities feeling discouraged to speak out because of a fear of retribution in some way, because history doesn’t repeat itself but it does brine.”
“Has the election outcome affected your day- to-day life or future plans?”
Corral: “Yes, I feel like the election has caused me to think more critically about the decisions that I make in my future. So for example, like I’m considering leaving education. I was I have always considered leaving education, but now I probably am going to leave education faster than I actually wanted to, and it has nothing to do with the kids or the place that I work at, but it’s just the future of education and what it will look like, because there’s going to be a lot of implications from the president from the Department of Education that could really change what teaching, what students are doing every day.”
Massey: “Yeah, so just in day to day life, when I start thinking about the future, there’s this underlying sense of anxiety, even more than just how it normally is, you know, and I’ve actually, as a result of this election, I have switched my birth control to one that will last eight years, because I’m scared that the attack on women’s rights will prevent me from getting that type of healthcare in the future”
The 2024 election was historic for women, highlighting issues that disproportionately affect them and underscoring their important role in determining the country’s future. While the immediate effects may differ, the long-term consequences will define women’s rights and prospects. Although progress cannot be guaranteed, women’s voices continue to be important in the political environment. To defend their rights, they must organize, advocate, and vote more than ever before to make their voice be heard.
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