I first want to preface this article by saying that I acknowledge the progress women have made in America, leading strong political movements and reaching high government positions. The word Leader in the title is merely meant to encompass the vast types of world leaders across nations (what we would call president in the United States). Additionally, the U.S. did have in some sorts a female president in the year 1919. Woodrow Wilson became largely incapacitated following a stroke, leaving first lady Edith Wilson as the first effective female chief executive. The United States, however, has never elected a female president.
The U.S. consistently paints itself as a progressive nation leading the rest of the world in all capacities, but we have yet to vote for a female president. The role of women in politics has long been a concerning issue for a government built on male values. Women did not even gain the right to vote until the 19th amendment. To put this into perspective, we banned alcohol before giving the women the right to vote (18th amendment). Banning alcohol was higher on the agenda than women’s suffrage.
Nations across the world, including ones that hold oppressive regimes, have had female leaders – or will have female leaders. Recently, Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un appointed his daughter as his successor. The idea of North Korea having a female leader before the United States is baffling. I’m not by any means insinuating Kim Jong Un is a good guy, but this is pretty progressive of him. Other nations that the American education system views as less developed or more oppressive to women than America have also had female leaders. These countries include Turkiye, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and many more.
Why are these nations able to vote for female leaders? It may be due to the values that the nations were built from. Take Turkiye, for example. The “founding father” of the nation, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, gave women full access to political participation upon the founding of the nation. In India, women gained the right to vote upon independence. Female representation became a priority, as they set quotas for female government positions. The first building block of these nations – clearly stating that women will have equal rights – may have shaped the way society viewed women, enabling their higher government positions. Even so, many nations that did not initially give women such rights have had female leaders. This development can be attributed to women’s increased roles in society and education. As time moves forward, women continue to gain value in society.
So how can we explain why America has yet to take this step? One possible explanation is the electoral college system. The closest we have come to electing a female president was Hillary Clinton. The 2016 election, ultimately ending in the election of President Donald Trump, held that over 2 million more Americans voted for Clinton over the winner. However, the election is not based on the sheer value of votes. Instead, we use the system of the electoral college. America does not have a more conservative demographic than progressive, however we do hold more conservative regions.
Another possible explanation could be that American culture continues to hold a distrust in women. I personally heard comments from the most recent election saying, “I would rather vote for a convicted felon than a woman.” But why? Justifications from this side of politics include that being a leader is a “man’s job.” We see this in the movies we watch and throughout corporate America, with the majority of fortune 500 CEOs being male. The father of the family is considered the protector. The guy is supposed to ask the girl out on the date. He leads and she follows. The patriarchy is woven into the fabrics of our society – so well that we fail to notice it in our everyday lives.
Do not let this discourage you. We have gotten so close to electing female presidents, especially in recent years, with Harris and Clinton having been the democratic party’s picks. This is a signal that female leadership is near. As time goes on, younger generations become more and more open minded to progressive ideals. While the US has not voted for a female president, the key word that I cling onto in my title question is the word yet.