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America, it appears is still not ready to accept a woman as a President. American voters still seem to associate authority with traditionally male traits and this in turn impacts their views on women candidates
Donald trump
Counting is left in only 7 states in the US presidential election. So far, results of 43 states have come. Out of these, Donald Trump of the Republican Party has won in 27 and Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party has won in 15. In one state, Maine, both parties have got one seat each.
Trump is now just 23 seats away from the majority. He has got 248 seats out of 538, while Kamala has got 214 seats. There is a difference of only 34 seats between the two. However, Trump is leading in 6 of the remaining 7 states. In such a situation, Kamala is on the verge of losing the election despite giving a tough fight.
According to the US media reports, Republican candidate Donald Trump is seems way ahead of his rival Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. It is worth noting that in America it is said that whoever wins in seven swing states wins the entire election. As of now, Trump is leading in all seven states. The swing states are those states where there is no record of support for any party and people vote according to the party and the candidate and the support changes. The trends and the leads show that once again the world’s most powerful democracy will not see a woman as its head.
America way behind in women’s empowerment?
In 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the first woman Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and in 1966 Indira Gandhi became the first woman Prime Minister of India. The year 1969 saw Golda Meir as the first woman Prime Minister of Israel while in 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister of Britain. The year 1988 saw Benazir Bhutto become the first woman Prime Minister of a Muslim country Pakistan. In the last 60 years, more than 60 countries have elected women presidents or prime ministers. So what is stopping the USA the world’s strongest democracy from electing a woman as its President?
It may be noted that this is the second time in the 231-year history of American democracy that a woman is a presidential candidate. First, Hillary Clinton was the presidential candidate in 2016, while in this election, Kamala Harris who is of Indian origin is running for the top post. America, it seems is still not ready to accept a woman as a President.
Why is it so difficult for women?
According to a report in Times Magazine, the most difficult thing for women candidates in the US Presidential Elections is that they always talk about double standards. They do not link the election to politics or economic challenges but to women and men or sexism, which the people of America reject outright because they focus on the development of America and not on sexism.
Moreover, elections in America are more of a matter of popularity. Whereas in other countries, voting takes place within an institution under the parliamentary system. Experts say that in other countries people vote for the party and the party elects the PM. While in the US the public directly elects the candidate which at times gets difficult for women as they are not able to connect with the people in an aggressive manner like a male candidate can.
Experts also blame the two-party presidential system for women failing to get elected. It is seen that in countries having a Parliamentary system, the women face fewer difficulties as there many parties can agree to support each other’s leaders in coalitions. Parliamentary systems are seen to be more favourable for women as in these elections many parties contest the elections and thus women have a higher chance of getting tickets and winning. In such a system women often become opposition leaders before becoming prime ministers and have more opportunities to hold top positions. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Germany etc are some examples where women have held top posts.
Additionally, some countries even have reservations for women in Parliament, which gives women the right to represent in Parliament, but America does not have such a thing. There is no such quota or reservation there that makes it easier for women to reach Parliament. The percentage of women’s seats in the US House and Senate is stuck at around 20 per cent and for more participation, it will have to reach at least 35 per cent.
In the US the party structures and donor networks play a major role in elections and these very often prioritise candidates they think as “electable,”. The US still looks at its Presidents in traditional manner wherein the bar seems to have already been set by past Presidents. The US politics has been dominated by white males and thus the country still finds it difficult to accept a woman leading them.
The biases towards women
A poll conducted by Pew Research asked Americans if they think voters are more likely, less likely, or neither more nor less likely to support a candidate for high political office depending on the candidate’s gender, race and ethnicity. About two-thirds (65 per cent) think American voters are more likely to vote for a candidate if the candidate is a White man.
A much smaller share (36 per cent) say voters would be more likely to vote for a White woman. Still, more see being a White woman as an advantage than as a disadvantage for someone running for office (25 per cent think voters would be less likely to vote for a candidate who was a White woman and 37 per cent say voters would be neither more nor less likely to vote for a White woman). In contrast, more see being a Black man or woman, a Hispanic man or woman, or an Asian man or woman as a disadvantage than see it as an advantage for someone running for high elected office. In each case, a greater share of Americans said that voters are less likely to support a woman than a man.
Gender issues in the US
Another reason for the US not having a woman as President is the country ranks 43rd out of 143 countries when it comes to political empowerment, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023.
Apart from these factors, there are aspects of the American political process that make it difficult for women here. 24-hour news channels cover 18-month presidential campaigns, which can subject many politicians to intense scrutiny. Many female leaders avoid this. American politics has become influenced by celebrity culture, which means voters often choose their candidates based on their personalities, which often skews elections against women. In other countries, where campaigns are shorter and media scrutiny is less intense, elections are often decided on policy differences rather than personality.
American men think women can’t lead
It may be noted that the first presidential election in America was held in 1789 but women did not have the right to vote. The American women got the right to vote on August 18, 1920, about 141 years after independence. American political affairs expert Debbie Walls says that in other countries people vote for the party and then the party elects the PM. But this is not the case in America. Here voters directly vote for the President, due to which it is difficult for women. This is because the people of America believe that women do not have the physical and mental capabilities to lead in difficult situations like war, whereas these qualities are hereditary in men. American voters still seem to associate authority with traditionally male traits and this in turn impacts their views on women candidates.
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