As the 2024 presidential election came to a close, America witnessed the second time in history a major party supported a female presidential candidate. We also witnessed the second time in history that a female presidential candidate lost the election to a man.
Former President Trump will return to the White House, and as speculations continue to circulate about why Kamala Harris lost the election, one question takes people back to the year 2016: Is America ready for a female president?
To the former question, my answer is absolutely!
Time and time again, women have proven they can be successful in positions of political leadership.
Still, the presidency of the United States continues to be a position held by a man. Which leads us to the second question: “Is America ready to elect a female president?”
Women have been underrepresented throughout history, and it has taken centuries for women to have the rights they have today. And there’s still a long way to go.
In 1894, the first three women were elected to a state legislature in the United States. Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly, and Frances Klock all took part in the Colorado House of Representatives.
In 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman ever elected to Congress. Interestingly, the Montana Representative was the only lawmaker to vote against the U.S. entering both world wars.
And after decades of organizing, petitioning, and picketing, women finally got the right to vote in 1920.
In 1988, Lenora Fulani ran for president twice, and was the first African American candidate to appear on the ballot for all 50 states, running as a candidate from the New Alliance Party.
In 2016, Hilary Clinton ran for president and was the first woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee.
Vice President Kamala Harris broke the glass ceiling when she became the first female vice president, inaugurated in 2021.
Most recently, in August of 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris ran for president as the Democratic Party’s Candidate against former president Donald Trump.
Since Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016, there has been an increase in the number of women in elected offices, both at the state and the federal level.
America is willing to elect women into federal and state positions, so why did women lose both bids for president? Was it because they weren’t the woman or was it because they were a woman?
According to the 2024 election exit polls, 54% of the voters in the age range of 18-24 voted for Harris while 43% of them voted for Trump. Compared to the voters in the age range of 50-64, 56% voted for Trump while 43% voted for Harris.
There tends to be a specific stereotype commonly associated with women in politics: they are too emotional and hysterical. Many people, whether consciously or unconsciously, associate men with being able to make big decisions and act rationally, while women could never because they are “too emotional”. And with many people of the older generation voting with this prejudiced mindset, the odds are stacked against women in politics.
But what do Notre Dame students think?
An Quach ’28 said, “I think we’re ready for a female president. People are starting to realize that women can do as much as men can do. However, some people still believe that men will always be the better option and that women can’t come up with the ideas that men can come up with.”
Axel Gresen ’28 agreed, stating that he also thinks we’re ready for a female president. He compared the U.S. to other countries and the ancient Egyptians, who have already had female leaders.
Even after years of fighting for equal rights and two presidential elections, America still hasn’t elected a woman for president. So the question is: are we ready?
