“Apparently rules are there to be broken. We can have it all.” – Chuck Bass
“No, only you can.” – Blair Waldorf
In the latest Gossip Girl episode, Blair Waldorf chose her career ambitions over a relationship with her longtime lover, firmly convinced that the two are mutually exclusive. After the episode, collegiettes across the country were left wondering—can women today balance the demands of a high profile job with family life?
This question has been examined in political circles recently. I asked Kate Kelly— renowned author and historian on the topic of American Presidential elections— for her perspective. Nine decades after the 19th Amendment was ratified, women hold top positions in the Obama administration and find themselves center stage on the political arena. Many of the most successful women, however, are unmarried and don’t have children.
While we achieved substantial inroads, women still have a long way to go, according to Kelly. In the midterm elections, the number of women in elective offices dropped to just 17 percent. The US now ranks 90th in the world for the number of women serving in the national legislature. The decline can be attributed to the difficulties women face balancing their professional and personal lives. Sexist media coverage— which focuses on women’s physical appearances rather than their platforms— prevents many from running.
Kelly said that changing the political atmosphere will take time, but she believes that it can be done. Women need to strive for better provisions for childcare, as well as for maternity and paternity leave. “We just need to go for more equality,” Kelly said. “It actually is better for the kids if they know that both parents are equal partners.” In terms of campaigning, female candidates must “always try to bring the conversation back to topic that brought [them] out to run in the first place,” she said.
Politics is one of several fields characterized by striking gender imbalances. Last month, I attended a conference on investment banking at J.P. Morgan. Female employees talked about the challenges they faced working in a male-dominated environment and the rewards they found in each other’s company.
As collegiettes, it is important to remain optimistic. “The world is more open to women,” Kelly said. “Go forward with whatever your dream is and believe that you are going to be able to figure it out.”