Parents tell their kids that they can do and be whatever they want. My own mother instilled in me the value of dreaming big. She always taught me to work hard for the life that I wanted, no matter what anyone else told me.
Still, when you go into any toy section of the local store, there are rows in uniform pastel pink and purple lined with toys that are associated with the typical stereotypes we pin onto women. The dolls and miniature playsets that are marketed for young girls remind them to pay attention to physical attractiveness, domestic life, and motherhood. While the rows in blue designated for the boys ignite values of competition, leadership, and adventure. This alone speaks volumes of what society values within the arenas of family life, business, and politics. So even when we tell women to “dream big,” the reality is not representative of the sweet aphorism we like to recite to our daughters and sisters.
The reality is that the history of our leadership within government has been mostly male. This was the widely-accepted norm for decades. However, we are finally beginning to enter a new norm in which women can lead.
As of 2019, there are 127 women in Congress. I remember seeing a headline back in November about the youngest woman elected to Congress, and instantly feeling my own goals of pursuing a career in public policy validated when I read the name Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I felt empowered seeing a woman of Hispanic decent elected to such a prestigious public office role. To be honest, I still tear up every time I watch her campaign video!
Image via Business Insider
Another perfect example of women taking on the political sphere is Chicago’s mayoral race. On April 2, 2019 Lori Lightfoot became the first African American woman to be mayor of Chicago demonstrating a radical change for the state and for other women around the world to follow in her footsteps.
When women succeed in executive office it opens the door for more women. The changing representation of women at other levels of government shows that the status quo on gender and leadership can shift. There are currently six women in the running for the presidency who are leading this revolution.
Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Marianne Williamson are making history by declaring their candidacy for president. Different forms of female leadership are being represented by each of these candidate’s diverse platforms and this is what is most important. For other women to see themselves and their values in the candidates who will potentially hold the highest office in the U.S. is incredibly significant.
To no surprise, the solution to adapting laws to reflect our ever-changing culture is to empower people of diverse backgrounds to take on leadership positions at all levels of the workplace. This includes a need for more women to continue to bring about change in response to issues of diversity and equal representation. Today we are seeing that the norm can shift in government, business, and family arenas. With greater female presence within politics and the workforce, the door is opening for more women to follow.