With the deluge of campaign coverage that comes our way each day, it’s almost impossible not to talk about the 2016 election. Whether it’s Donald Trump’s politically incorrect statement of the week or just the usual daily political drama, we are constantly flooded with information on the upcoming election.
While watching snippets of last night’s GOP debate, I was talking with a few friends about who might be selected as the Republican nominee and how that candidate would stand against Hillary Clinton should she end up securing the Democratic nomination. Although I am not completely certain where I stand on the subject of Hillary Clinton, I think it’s time for a woman to be given the chance to serve as the leader of our country.
With only a few years to go until the hundredth anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, it is troubling to me that a woman has never been one of the final two candidates on the presidential ballot. Interestingly, even though my circle of friends is typically team girl power, all of my female friends in the room completely disagreed with me. They said they believed that women are too emotionally unstable to effectively lead and should never occupy the Oval Office.
Naturally, I was floored. How could a group of well-educated and highly motivated women advocate against having a woman in office? Unfortunately, my friends are certainly not the only ones that maintain this position. In the news following the recent Benghazi testimony, Hillary Clinton addressed Bernie Sanders’ statement that “all the shouting in the world” would not produce changes in gun control legislation. In response to the sexist undertones that she felt were present in Sanders’ declaration, she tweeted, “I’m not shouting. It’s just when women talk, some people think we’re shouting.”
This powerful statement addresses a stereotype that is deeply engrained in American society. In a recent interview, rapper T.I. was described as advocating that “a woman shouldn’t run the United States because they are too emotional and rash.” He was directly quoted as saying, “not to be sexist, but I can’t vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman…the world ain’t ready yet…it’s not right, but I’m just saying.”
While T.I. is certainly not the most reputable source and his opinions would not likely be highly valued in the political sector, he holds a position of status and news sources print what he says. The unfortunate reality is that he and others are reinforcing this harmful precedent – the more it’s said, the more it’s set in stone.
To the detriment of the female gender, the idea of being emotional has acquired an extremely negative connotation. Describing a woman as “too emotional” has morphed into a justification for dismissing her as unfit to lead. Ultimately, women have been penalized and stigmatized by the belief that we feel too much, capping our political reach to just short of the presidential office.
Undoubtedly, there are certainly women who would be too emotional and wholly unqualified to lead the nation effectively. Not every woman should be considered a valid potential candidate just as not every man would make a great president.
The issue lies in blanket statements made by T.I. and so many others. Stereotypes like this one discourage women from attempting to climb the political ladder and make the possibility of attaining the presidency as a woman an unrealistic dream rather than a tangible goal.
As a nation, we could be missing out on many potentially great leaders because of this assumption. When Father Hesburgh made the critical move of welcoming women into the University of Notre Dame, he argued that “if we say we are educating for leadership, we ought to educate the other half of the human race.” Why are women welcomed by the world’s most influential leaders to enter top universities but the door to the Oval Office remains closed?
Over the past century, women have successfully made it to the top of the business world, obtained degrees in every imaginable field, made invaluable scientific discoveries, and gained positions of power and respect in practically every industry. It’s time we take that success one step further with the election of a female president.
While it may not happen in 2016 or even by 2060, I am confident that the right female candidate will make it to the top one day. And when that day finally comes, I’ll likely be running around a room somewhere screaming and yelling with happiness. How’s that for too much emotion?
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