Is America ready to elect a woman as president? For the first time, a woman—Hillary Clinton—has secured the nomination of a major political party. Yet the country only ranks 97 among 193 countries regarding the proportion of women in the lower house of parliament, and, at the present rate of change, it will take another 100 years to reach gender parity in Congress. Clinton’s presidential campaign illuminates the barriers that women face running for high level political offices. Focusing largely but not entirely on the presidential contest, we will explore the barriers women face when running for high level political offices. These include: U.S. public opinion, gender stereotypes and “modern sexism,” a lack of role models, an “ambition gap,” a stagnant recruitment pool, family responsibilities, press and media coverage, partisan differences, and money. We also will ask whether electing a woman president is a priority in the eyes of the public. Why should we care? What significance attaches to the election of a first woman president?
Carol Nechemias - Associate Professor Emerita of Political Science and Public Policy; Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg (read more...)
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