Ewa Wolsztyniak-King
Professor Joyce Gelb
FIQWS 10048 – Gender and Politics in the United States
November 25, 2008

WHY HAS THE UNITED STATES NOT HAD A WOMAN PRESIDENT? Women have held top political positions in many countries around the world. Some of these countries such as Sri Lanka, Turkey and Pakistan are not necessarily considered “pro-woman” or politically progressive. The United States considers itself the most progressive democracy in the world, yet no woman has ever held the top political position of president or vice president Looking at the current climate of women’s issues with politics, it is just a matter of time before a woman will hold the position of president or vice-president in the United States. This is a relatively young country founded on social values passed down from traditional Western European schools of thought where women have been primarily positioned as a wife and mother instead of a respected player in business and politics.
While women stayed at home and cared for children, men were developing contacts and gaining political know-how. Moreover, traditional women’s occupations such as teacher and nurse did not introduce women to politically active individuals.

Media plays a valuable role in presenting candidates to the American voting public. A media bias against women exists in the United States. The first woman to run for president was Victoria Woodhull in 1872. Since that time, fifteen other women have been nominated by their respective parties. Most of these women remained relatively unknown, and did not receive any substantial media coverage. The way the media portrays a candidate has a direct impact on the presentation of the candidate to the public.
According to Kim Fridkin Kahn, women are portrayed as less viable than men, and the media coverage for women is less issue oriented. Based on this concept, men are more trustworthy in dealing with military, whereas women are more honest, less dependable on military issues, though capable of dealing with issues regarding health.
It is not only important that the media acknowledges a candidate, but the language and perspective presented by the media play a significant role in the efficacy of the candidate. When reporters consistently talk badly about women and treat them less seriously than men, this deters women from believing they can succeed, and causes them to question their viability.
When the press mentions what women wear instead of what issues they support, this gives the impression that women are not serious candidates. When media portrays women based on their emotions, it sets an impression that women are not capable of making sound judgment without emotional wavering, effectively sending the message that they will not be successful leaders. When media presents a woman as a wife or mother instead of a professional, it appears as though they are less dedicated or qualified to hold their political posts.
A recent viable candidate for United States president was republican Elizabeth Dole in 2000. Ultimately, she withdrew her candidacy primarily based on the media’s coverage of her. Polling in the early primary season showed Dole as a strong second to republican George Bush, and a favorite to the democratic frontrunner Al Gore. With this standing, one would expect the media to cover her extensively, and certainly present her more than other hopefuls in lower standing such as Steve Forbes and Gary Bauer.
Elizabeth Dole was highly qualified to run for president. She was a Harvard educated lawyer, and had a long history of government service. Ms. Dole worked for four presidents in major roles including cabinet positions of Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Labor. She also had executive experience as President of the American Red Cross. In addition to her personal qualifications, she was married to republican Senate leader Bob Dole.
Although the New York Times stated that Elizabeth Dole was “The first woman to become a really serious candidate for President of the United States”, the primary media focus for her campaign highlighted issues other than her presidential qualifications and political platform. These issues included her dress, her personal traits, her personal story and her personal life. Also, most media coverage presented her as the wife of Senator Robert Dole instead of the presidential candidate.
Times are changing for women in politics, as well as media coverage of these women. The most recent presidential election featured Hillary Clinton as an early democratic primary frontrunner. In early 2008, she was in a leading position for her parties’ nomination. Like Ms. Dole in 2000, Ms. Clinton is highly qualified for the position of president. Though ultimately she did not win the primary, media attention did place a new focus on her qualifications and viability as well as her personal life.
When Clinton won a surprising primary victory in New Hampshire, she became the leading political newsmaker for the following week. During this week, 37% of all campaign stories were significantly focused on Clinton. Barack Obama came in second with 32% followed by the republican leaders. The fact that Clinton and Obama generated top coverage shows the power of media in presenting a nominee.
The United States is a young democracy. Media and cultural stereotypes of women as wives, mothers and caretakers are slowly breaking down. There is new credit given to women as potential political leaders as well as corporate players. It is only a matter of time until there is a woman president.
All change takes time, and breaking stereotypes is a step-by-step process. Although Hillary Clinton did not win the presidency, another threshold was broken by Barack Obama being voted in as the first African American president elect. A likely next step in this political evolution would be to elect a woman in the highest political offices in the United States. Are Americans ready to have a woman president? Only time will tell.

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[ 2 ]. Falk, Erika, Women For President, P. 2, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago ©2008
[ 3 ]. Gelb, Joyce, FIQWS 10048 Gender And Politics In The United States, P. 4, Fall 2008
[ 4 ]. Falk, Erika, Women For President, P. 29, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago ©2008
[ 5 ]. Falk, Erika, Women For President, P. 36, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago ©2008
[ 6 ]. Gelb, Joyce, FIQWS 10048 Gender And Politics In The United States, P. 85-86, 128, Fall 2008
[ 7 ]. Jurkowitz, Mark, Campaign Coverage index: January 6-1, 2008, Journalism.org (attached)