Carly Fiorina is again weighing in on the “progressive view of feminism,” which she says is “about ideology” and “isn’t working.”
“Feminism began as a rallying cry to empower women — to vote, to get an education, to enter the workplace. But over the years, feminism has devolved into a left-leaning political ideology where women are pitted against men and used as a political weapon to win elections,” Fiorina wrote in a Facebook post Thursday.
Fiorina, the only woman in the Republican presidential field, has spoken throughout the campaign about issues of gender and feminism.
In June, during an interview with MSNBC, Fiorina said of feminism: “I think it’s time to take that word back for all women not just for those who believe in the litany of the left.”
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On Thursday, she again called for redefining feminism, saying that only about a quarter of women define themselves as such. That definition, Fiorina said, should mean “a woman who lives the life she chooses.”
“A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses. We will have arrived when every woman can decide for herself how to best find and use her God-given gifts. A woman may choose to have five children and home-school them. She may choose to become a CEO…or run for President,” Fiorina wrote.
Fiorina’s call for redefining feminism dovetails with the primary rationale for her candidacy — that she’d be the strongest Republican contender to take on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, in part because she could neutralize any “war on women” attacks from Democrats.
While the Republican hasn’t shied away from the fact she’s the only woman in the field, she’s been careful not to lean too heavily on her gender as a rationale for her candidacy, telling voters during the second GOP debate to consider her because she’s the most qualified to do the job, “not because I’m a woman.” After a brief surge in the polls after two strong debate performances, Fiorina’s poll numbers have returned to the low single digits in recent days. She received 3% support in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. NBC’s Ali Vitali and Carrie Dann contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com
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