Photo taken from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/25/why-do-female-leaders-seem-to-be-more-successful-at-managing-the-coronavirus-crisis

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As the lack of support for women in leadership positions has become normalized in the story of American hegemony, it’s time to take a journey to the past in order to understand why our modern world has still yet to have a female president. Imagine it’s 1872, almost half a century before women had the right to vote, and Victoria Woodhull has just become the first woman to announce her campaign to become America’s first female president. It’s scandalous, unheard of, and later on, she even gets arrested for obscenity by the U.S Federal Marshals a couple days before the presidential election.

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After her, candidates such as Belva Ann Lockwood in 1884, and Margaret Chase Smith in 1964 also extended their bid for the presidential office. Shirley Chisholm in 1972 was not only the first Black woman to be elected to U.S Congress, but was also the first Black woman to run for the main presidential nomination for the Democratic Party.  

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However, the denial of women in politics and leadership positions has long been questioned by the press, colleagues, and the general public. 

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Beyond this, many women have been questioned things a man would never be asked to answer: Can they handle the pressures of balancing a family and work? 

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The answer to this question was surmised by Pat Schroeder, the first woman to be elected to Congress from Colorado in 1973: “I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both.” This sentiment has consistently been reflected in many women leaders throughout history. 

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But, while many women have entered the political space, it’s almost incomprehensible to think that it’s taken until 2016 for America to accept a woman on the presidential ballot. In fact, Hillary Clinton was the first woman to secure the nomination at the Democratic National Convention for president. Even now, a woman president of the United States continues to be nothing but an option that has never come to fruition. It’s easy to look at the 2020 Democratic nomination contest and hope that its 6 candidates —a record-breaking amount— shows that gender equality in political leadership is becoming a reality.  Even so, many of these women dropped out of the race, and it ultimately became a final showdown between two men for the White House.

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However the question now is why does electing a female president matter?

The answer is simple: having women in high positions would bring a diversity of thought and knowledge to the table that America has never seen before.

Women in leadership positions are proven to not only build trust and greater civic participation in political systems, but they also act as public role models and inspire girls to aspire for leadership roles as well. 

The problem is that many women are still not able to gain leadership through their own means. By analyzing multiple countries that already have female presidents, it’s evident that many of these women have gained their position through appointments during  various procedures or political crises. Furthermore, the most common way to win an office position as a woman is running as the wife or daughter of an already established male politician. 

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While this may seem disheartening, it’s notable that women and men are elected at similar rates through observations of US Congressional elections. Thankfully, rates of women in gubernatorial offices have only been growing in addition to increased support for women in state Congresses. The 2024 election had women running as well, specifically in the Republican Party, to upset Trump’s hold on the presidential bid. Nikki Haley was the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary in US history, the first female governor of South Carolina, and the first Indian American appointed to a cabinet-level position as ambassador to the UN during Trump’s tenure.

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The world is slowly opening up to female leaders. However, even as many women are climbing to top offices, the presidential office still remains far out of reach.

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It says a lot about America’s lack of women empowerment that this nation can only hope for, instead of promising, a female president in the future.   

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Sources:

Wallenfeldt, Jeff. “Who Was the First Woman to Run for President of the United States?” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/story/who-was-the-first-woman-to-run-for-president-of-the-united-states.

Wikipedia. “Victoria Woodhull.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2024, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Woodhull

“Shirley Chisholm | American Politician and Activist | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Shirley-Chisholm.

Alexander, Amy C., and Farida Jalalzai. “Symbolic empowerment and female heads of States and government: A global, multilevel analysis.” Politics, Groups, and Identities, vol. 8, no. 1, 25 Feb. 2018, pp. 24–43, https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2018.1441034.

Harris, Robbie. “Why Has the U.S. Never Had a Female President?” WVTF, 28 Aug. 2020, www.wvtf.org/news/2020-08-28/why-has-the-u-s-never-had-a-female-president.

Jalalzai, Farida. “Why the US Still Hasn’t Had a Woman President.” The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2020, theconversation.com/why-the-us-still-hasnt-had-a-woman-president-131125.

Dann, Carrie. “Hillary Clinton Becomes First Female Nominee of Major U.S. Political Party.” NBC News, 26 July 2016, www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-conventions/hillary-clinton-becomes-first-female-nominee-major-u-s-political-n617406.

Ramaswamy, Swapna Venugopal. “Nikki Haley’s 2024 Presidential Campaign May Be over, but It Still Made History. Here’s How.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 6 Mar. 2024, www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/06/nikki-haley-historic-run-us-presidency/72843645007/

“List of Female United States Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates.” Wikipedia, 7 June 2024, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_United_States_presidential_and_vice_presidential_candidates. Accessed 3 June 2024.