Could the 2016 Presidential Elections Be Breaking Gender Taboos?
Business major Valentina Ballas, while in the middle of presenting her and her male team member’s marketing project, was interrupted by a waving hand, signaling she needed to wrap up her thoughts. The teacher’s dismissive hand gesture caused her to stop short on her point, making it hard for her group member to pick up where she had unintentionally left off. The group of two was not able to make the minimum 20-minute requirement and though stopping short didn’t reflect in their grade, what happened next raised a lot of suspicion from Ballas.
Following their presentation, she noticed that a male student from another group had talked for more than 20-minutes and had not been interrupted by the teacher in anyway. In fact, all the male members who had been presenting were long-winded when discussing their points; however, when it was Ballas’ turn to speak, she was not offered the same opportunity. Ballas admitted to feeling like she was doing something wrong or overstepping her boundaries because she talked too much.
Feelings like Ballas’ are prevalent in our society today. Though women are taking the initiative to participate in various academic and career fields, the stigmas related to their gender remain problematic and it could be a defining factor for Hillary Clinton winning the White House.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 2016, there is a 16-point gender gap in general election support for Clinton. Overall, 59 percent of women voters say they would support Clinton over Trump, compared with 43 percent of men.
“I remember watching an episode of Scandal and Eli Pope was talking to his daughter about race and he said ‘You have to work twice as hard to get half of what they have,’ in reference to African Americans trying to be equal to Whites and I felt this also applies to women,” said Ballas, a senior at Marist College. “We have to work twice as hard to get half of what men have.”
For decades, white men have called the Oval Office home, a tradition broken by Barack Obama’s election in 2008 and reelection in 2012. Despite this milestone, old traditions are not changing rapidly enough to convince some voters that women can have leadership positions outside the household. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 52 percent of white men hold a “very unfavorable” view of Clinton.
“Change scares people,” said Mike Conte Assistant Director of Survey Center and Data Management at Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO). “A segment of this population are traditionalists who hold American values and they are stuck in their ways.” Also, he said, religion plays a part in this society. “People may look at having a female president as breaking the family structure,” he added. “They fear what hasn’t happened before.”
Conte is both an alum of Marist College’s undergraduate and graduate programs. He works with MIPO, a well-respected research foundation at Marist that conducts national surveys on issues facing communities across the country.
This change in which Conte talks about is hard to envision when large media organizations continue validate the stigmas associated with females. Stories that are being published about this year’s presidential campaign often criticize and slander Clinton’s name. As reported from MSN News, she has been labeled the “devil,” a “pathological liar,” an “enabler for her husband’s infidelity” and other degrading names that could be contributing to those who pass judgement about her ability to lead the country.
“It doesn’t seem like people want to give her [Clinton] the benefit of the doubt like they do a man,” said Conte.
Conte went on to make the point that people had “forgotten” about former president Bush and his own email scandal during his presidency. It was estimated that 22 million emails had been lost from Bush’s private domain gwb43.com (George W. Bush 43rd President of the United States). Clinton during her time as secretary of state has also been suspected of deleting important emails from a private server. The amount of lost files was reported to be 33,000. Now that’s nowhere near Bush’s amount, yet “she is scrutinized more for what she did.”
“I feel like her [Clinton] being president is not removing any taboos,” said Darriel McBride, senior and Vice President of Academic Affairs for Student Government (SGA). McBride reasoned that a female president might actually “make the taboos worse” because a lot of pressure would be placed on her.
“Everything she [Clinton] does can possibly validate the taboos people already have or create new ones,” said McBride.
Recently, it was reported by WillHillaryWin that during a commemoration speech on 9/11, Clinton unexpectedly left the scene early. Later on, it was confirmed that her disappearance was due to pneumonia. The media used this information as ammunition to attack her. A Fox News article headline read: “Clinton has health ‘episode’ at 9/11 memorial, doctor says she has pneumonia,” they referred to Clinton’s health matter as an ‘episode.’
“Hillary Clinton has a medical condition and they’re giving her shit for it. It’s adding on to the stigmas of women being weak,” said McBride.
In spite of all the criticism, Clinton thus far has remained a strong candidate for presidency. She has become a powerful figure and people are noticing her determination to stay in the race.
“I’m looking forward to having a female president,” said Dalya Chao, retail manager, at Famous Footwear. “It would be nice to have views and ideas that come from a woman’s perspective. You can do things and see things differently.”
Having a female as president would be iconic for our country. It is a perfect example to show future generations that the female gender is capable of anything. “It’s another way to break down the barriers and show everyone that it’s not just a man’s world,” said Conte.
Jason Alfonso, store manager, at Famous Footwear expressed that the idea of having a female as president didn’t evoke any particular feelings for him. “As long as she is qualified to do the job, that’s what’s important,” stated Alfonso.
Alfonso referred to himself as a feminist and when questioned about his thoughts towards the idea of Clinton dressing more “masculine” he said, “You have to be dressed to impress…I think that she dresses that way to prove a point. To prove that even though she is a woman she can do the job as good as a man can.”
With less than a month left until the end of the elections, there’s no telling if a female will take office or if Republican candidate, Donald Trump, would reinforce old traditions. One thing for sure is that gender is a main focus of the 2016 elections.
“As a country I think we’ve lost the idea of what America is from where we started to where we are now. It’s hard to say if any candidate embodies America,” said Lee Heard.
