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Although it is crucial to acknowledge the positives in the historical development of women in politics, attention should also be brought to the prevalent discrimination present in politics. Even in democratic societies where gender equality is legally mandated, discrimination in terms of political allegiance and gender representation is present. The political industry is where legal change can be mandated, so it’s especially important that women are represented.
Until 1920, women didn’t have the right to vote in the United States. However, movements like the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 pioneered to fight for women’s equality. The 19th Amendment read,“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” This was originally introduced in 1878 in Congress, but bipartisan support from the House of Representative and the Senate didn’t come until 1919. Finally, in 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified. This became one of the most significant moments of political mobilization in United States history. However, this didn’t apply to women of color who only had the right to vote after the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, 45 years later. This supports the fact that throughout the fight for gender equality, most opportunities are going to white women, and women of color continue to face the back end of the political spectrum.
On the positive side, in modern politics, the role of women is becoming more vast. On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman to become the Vice President in the United States, as well as the first Black and South Asian person to get elected in office. Currently, 11 women hold Cabinet Positions, and 3 women hold positions as US Supreme Court Justices. In Congress, 24 women hold a position in the US Senate and 119 hold a position in the House of Representatives. This is noteworthy progress, but there are still significant improvements to be made.
Additionally, gender stereotyping is extremely common in politics. One instance of stereotyping taking place is the discrimination Clinton faced when she ran for president in 2008. Throughout her campaign, people were more focused on the fact that “because she was a woman, she had a sexual power that would make her too intimidating to win the election.” Her body, clothes, and appearance were factors more substantial rather than the change she was advocating to make. This type of reaction to a female political candidate, that a male candidate could never warrant, continued on as women ran for high-ranking political positions. A study by the American National Election Studies found that male and female voters expected men to perform better as politicians than women. A major reason for this is because there is a misconception that female politicians will have specific priorities, usually related to children/education, that will stunt their performance. For this reason, political strategists clump female votes to be one, which results in campaigning uniting the female demographic and having things like “Women for Obama”.
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