How Hillary Clinton found her stride on gender
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/hillary-clinton-debate-gender/
Reporter Maeve Reston from CNN reports that Hillary Clinton has overcome the obstacles that arise with the potential of being America's first female President. Reston highlights Clinton's grace and maturity by demonstrating how she refrained from reacting to Trump in a way that would feed into female stereotypes. Reston recognized how careful Clinton had to be about every single movement and statement in order to prevent accusations that occur because of stereotypes. Reston continues by acknowledging how Clinton never "took the bait," compared to many of Trump's reactions.
Gender is a very controversial issue during this election, for obvious reasons. It's unfortunate that Hillary Clinton has to "behave" so properly at all times, when Trump is clearly not restricted to these societal obligations. If Hillary responded with Trump-like emotion outbursts, she would be ridiculed. Women are already so underrepresented in politics. It is a shame that we make it so difficult for them to participate.
Question to consider:
Should we implement laws to ensure that both genders are equally represented in politics? Why, or why not?
We should implement laws to ensure both genders are equally represented in politics for a few reason. For one, women may see issues from a woman's perspective that men may not be able to see, and that can be problematic when it comes to policy-making. Second, Democracy cannot be truly represented for all of its citizens if half of the population remains underrepresented in the political process. Lastly, women are shown favor a more modern and collaborative problem-solving type of leadership.
ReplyDeleteI believe that at this time in our country's politics, your plan of implementing a law to create equality is an unrealistic one. With the ongoing political gridlock seen in congress, there is no room for implementation of new, highly debated laws. The only real way to change gender equality is with the American people altering their beliefs.
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ReplyDeleteFor me, this is a no-brainer. In a country that prides itself on democratic values and equality, it is embarassing to see these presidential elections where Hilary Clinton is chastised for actions (being prepared, standing her ground) that a male would not be criticized for displaying. The difficult question is, however, how would we implement a law that insures equality? It's not like we can require for a certain amount of females to be elected to positions in government. Moreover, much of the gender inequality lurks within stereotypes and thoughts of the people. These are products of people's minds, and thus hard to regulate.
ReplyDeleteI understand your concern for how we would implement these requirements and I think that what we want is for DC to make a law that requires 50/50 representation. However, this would most likely be difficult to pass through Congress, which has the majority of Republicans. Plus, there would be conflict because people would wonder when the law would be implemented and whether or not they would be able to finish their term. I do believe the most important thing is changing peoples' minds though and not changing the law. This is difficult to do without having conservative republicans see equal representation with strong women doing well in these positions but we just need to keep pushing for equality. Finally, if Hillary is elected, while it is not likely Democrats will take Congress, there will hopefully be more acceptance of women in high ranking political positions.
DeleteOne key reason women don't enter politics is because of the extreme commitment it takes to be a politician. Numerous studies shows that women are more likely to value a work/life balance, which often does not happen in careers such as investment banking, politics and other jobs that require insane hours. Women are under-represented but always remember the complexity of all issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the concept of equal representation of the genders in our government. However, I believe that implementing laws that mandate a 50/50 split between male and female representatives is unrealistic. Laws like these would be very difficult to pass and could potentially be labeled as unconstitutional. Although rules like these seem like conceptually positive steps towards increasing female participation, they may not be as effective as they seem. It would also be hard to justify adding additional restrictions, regarding who could take office, as a means of increasing equal representation. I believe that more effective strategies to increasing equal representation could include putting pressure on politicians who don't represent their female constituents well and helping to vote more female candidates into office as citizens.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree that there should be much better representation of women in politics, I don't think that implementing a law would have much effect on the gender stereotypes that are involved. These stereotypes of women are part of the personality side of politics instead of the issue side. Consequently, if people believe in these stereotypes and are influenced to vote a certain way from it, they won't be changed by any type of law that is implemented. Unfortunately, Hillary is constantly faced with people saying that she can't be president because she is a woman, but her willingness to continue in the presidential race shows her determination to fight against gender stereotypes and become the first female president.
ReplyDeleteWe all want to have equal representation in Congress, but enforcing it is not proper. Constituents should not be forced to vote based on gender, rather, whoever is the most qualified for the job. The reason that there is a imbalance in Congress is because of the constituents views; if we are to head towards equal representation, then proponents should campaign and advocate for female representatives to the constituents, rather than forcing them to vote for a female rep.
ReplyDeleteI agree with David that enforcing in equal representation is not proper and may actually be unconstitutional. We should always vote for the most qualified person and not be restricted to one gender when it comes to politics. It is hard to change the perceptions of constituents that make the imbalance in Congress. This is a complicated issue and on that likely won't be resolved for a while.
DeleteI agree with the past commenters in regards to passing laws to encourage equal gender representation in Congress. I think that it is unrealistic, and perhaps also unfair, to pass gender-specific voting mandates. However, I do believe that women - as a product of deeply embedded gender stereotypes - are placed in positions of disadvantage when it comes to leadership positions, so I believe that the first step towards abolishing the gender gap in governmental representation is through education. A person's views and moral compass is largely determined through childhood and as a teenager, so I believe that we must place larger emphasis on gender studies and mutual respect in the public schooling system. If we can't abolish the negative stigma against female leaders in our generation, hopefully the next generation will be able to.
ReplyDeleteI believe laws should be implemented because women are unfairly judged by society and this scrutinization is largely caused by mainstream media. Women have been historically objectified and are not taken seriously in politics, but the times have changed and now women deserve the respect they were denied for so long. When women like Hillary have to worry about their image rather than their campaigns, they cannot effective win because their male counterparts are held to a different standard. If we are to progress as a society and as a people, women must be granted equal opportunities, especially when they make up half of the planet and are underrepresented abroad.
ReplyDeleteIn an ideal world there would be 50/50 representation in congress, however passing legislation to enact this would be very difficult. As much as I want there to be equal representation, logistically, how would you determine which representatives are women for each state? Is it possible that because each state has 2 senators, there are 2 elections in the states so you would vote for one male and one female for the senate? This would ensure equal representation in the senate but not the house.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that more women and minorities are represented more in politics, however, laws could make things complicated. We could hurt ourselves if we elect based on gender. If a male candidate is better than they deserve the position. The real problem is America's distrust in women's capabilities. Laws will not help that, if anything women would be resented not respected. We have to grow as a nation to elect more women.
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