The Women of '08

In the process, she's also sparked new debates over gender and sexism. Here is a strong, conservative woman, a working mother, vowing to take on Washington.

But Ms. Palin wasn’t the first this season to take on the “good ol’ boys.” Before Sarah, there was Hillary, storming the citadel in colorful pantsuits. And let's not forget Michelle Obama, and Cindy McCain, each navigating symbolic minefields of gender, family, and politics.

This hour, On Point: We hear women's views on the women of '08.

You can join the conversation. Are Sarah, Hillary, and Michelle the role models you’re looking for? What do they tell us about where the women’s movement stands today? Tell us what you think.Guests:

Joining us from Seattle, Washington, is Sandra Tsing Loh. She's a writer, performer, and NPR commentator, and her new book is "Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting!" She writes regularly for The Atlantic Monthly, where her most recent essay, "I Choose My Choice!," looked at sisterhood, empowerment, and working moms.

And joining us from Albany, New York, is Debra Dickerson. She's a contributing writer for Mother Jones and author of "The End of Blackness: Returning the Souls of Black Folk to their Rightful Owners" and the memoir "An American Story."

And with us from New York is Kay Hymowitz, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, contributing editor for City Journal, and author of "Marriage and Caste in America: Separate and Unequal Families in a Post-Marital Age" and "Liberation's Children: Parents and Kids in a Postmodern Age."