I will never forget sitting in a high school classroom listening to students argue why electing a woman as president would be a bad idea.
Perhaps even more upsetting was that some of the most vocal of these students were girls. Why did they think a woman was unqualified to run the country? One said women shouldn’t be presidents because they have periods, and periods make women moody. Some students agreed mood swings and menstruation disqualified women from competency to hold this high office. Never mind that no other profession considers a woman exempt from fulfilling her responsibilities because she is on her period. Never mind that women spend an average of approximately 37 years menstruating and must function as normal, productive contributing members of society. Never mind that we are talking about women age 35 and older running for president, not hormonal teenagers. Never mind hormones and emotions affect both boys and girls alike.
If you’re thinking this one experience is not nearly evidence enough of problematic attitudes towards women in positions of power, maybe you’ve seen this quote floating around online:
You might have “liked” it, laughed at it or maybe even shared it. You wouldn’t be the only one if you did.
Whether we realize it or not, we as a society still have some pretty degrading and insulting ideas about women and their abilities. It’s as though we’ve forgotten women like Margaret Thatcher, Mother Teresa or Rosa Parks who left their mark and influence on men and women alike. It’s like Amelia Earhart said, “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.” Just because no woman has won a presidential election does not mean women should give up or that they are incapable of fulfilling the responsibility.
I’m tired of those who advocate for representation being the ones who are challenged on their stance. I’m frustrated when I hear people say we don’t really need a woman to serve as president. We need women and diversity in politics because each characteristic offers a unique perspective. Legislative decisions affect everyone so everyone should be represented.
We need a female president so that when little girls say they want to be president when they grow up, their mothers won’t have to say “maybe you’ll be the first” knowing full well that it could be at least 30 years before their daughters are even old enough to run for president. We need a woman as president to teach our children that women are just as capable as men to pursue their dreams including those that involve holding positions of power and leadership.
Don’t misunderstand me, I would not advocate, nor would I ever, vote for a candidate solely because she was a woman. I know the first woman to one day hold the title will have an enormous responsibility. She will be judged as a woman before her individual merit as a politician. Some of her mistakes will be judged on her womanhood rather than her humanity. We’ve had a long history of white men as politicians and leaders so it is easier to dismiss their failings as personal rather than blaming something like their gender for their inadequacies. I believe in voting for the candidate who can best serve the country as a whole. I just have a hard time believing there has never in the history of the United States been a woman who would have been a stronger leader than the candidates who ran or who ultimately won. It seems it is instilled in our personal bias to believe that a woman would somehow be less capable based solely on the fact that she is a woman. It’s time we shift our attitudes into realizing the valuable potential and impact that strong female leadership could have for our country and for the message we send to future generations.