The 2016 United States presidential election results have highlighted the shortcomings of a modern trendsetting nation. The United States has yet to gain a female president and has in turn not yet shattered the ultimate political gender barrier within the country. Today in more than 70 countries across the world, women have sat in top leadership positions. Women in such positions have included Margaret Thatcher and currently include Angela Merkel, yet not one of these women are American. Justification for this deficiency includes historical, cultural, and institutional explanations. In order to overcome such a barrier, other leading countries in terms of political gender cohesion can be studied. Furthermore, it must be understood the difference
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president is institutionally based. Today, the path to the U.S. presidency correlates with the ascendance to the U.S. governorship. Unfortunately only 6 of the 50 state governors are women and that significantly lessens the pool to the path of a female U.S. president. Furthermore, the second most traveled path to the presidency is through the position of being a U.S. Senator. Again, there are limited women in the senate, only 20 out of the total 100, and this again bars the path of a woman gaining the presidency. Author of the article, Women actually do Govern Differently, Claire Miller, states that there is an institutional bias within the system. Women sponsored bills only get passed 1% of the time. Women dominated issues see more gridlock while still in committee. This bias has led other countries all across the world to create governmental quotas and proportional representation to ensure that women are involved in the governmental system. These actions have been very successful in an array of countries, yet the U.S. has neither quotas nor proportional …show more content…
Gender in itself is a socially constructed concept that is ever changing. There are still cultural pressures on women to raise children and this ultimately affects a woman’s political career, if she chooses to have one. Cultural expectations of women have only increased as women are now expected to balance a work-life. Meanwhile, discriminatory attitudes regarding gender as still within society as some still have qualms regarding a woman’s abilities and competencies. These aspects add to create the result that the United States has yet to elect a woman president. As other countries have paved the way in eliminating this gender barrier, one can only hope that the U.S. is soon to
president is institutionally based. Today, the path to the U.S. presidency correlates with the ascendance to the U.S. governorship. Unfortunately only 6 of the 50 state governors are women and that significantly lessens the pool to the path of a female U.S. president. Furthermore, the second most traveled path to the presidency is through the position of being a U.S. Senator. Again, there are limited women in the senate, only 20 out of the total 100, and this again bars the path of a woman gaining the presidency. Author of the article, Women actually do Govern Differently, Claire Miller, states that there is an institutional bias within the system. Women sponsored bills only get passed 1% of the time. Women dominated issues see more gridlock while still in committee. This bias has led other countries all across the world to create governmental quotas and proportional representation to ensure that women are involved in the governmental system. These actions have been very successful in an array of countries, yet the U.S. has neither quotas nor proportional …show more content…
Gender in itself is a socially constructed concept that is ever changing. There are still cultural pressures on women to raise children and this ultimately affects a woman’s political career, if she chooses to have one. Cultural expectations of women have only increased as women are now expected to balance a work-life. Meanwhile, discriminatory attitudes regarding gender as still within society as some still have qualms regarding a woman’s abilities and competencies. These aspects add to create the result that the United States has yet to elect a woman president. As other countries have paved the way in eliminating this gender barrier, one can only hope that the U.S. is soon to