The Bias That Arises Against Women 's Politics Emerges On Several Fronts

Dr. Laura Barberena was able to address some of the points which dieter and hinder women’s role in politics. She noted that one of the main reasons why few women put themselves forward for election is said to be a lack of female role models in politics. This is a great point. If someone does not see someone else like themselves succeeding in a certain field, they are less likely to jump into the field (i.e. women in STEM fields).

Anne Oakley, a renowned feminist, states “Despite a reduction of gender differences in the occupational world in recent years, one occupational role remains entirely feminine: the role of the housewife”. Numerous male politicians would have their supporting wife doing the housework and raising the children. Using Anne Oakley’s theory, a female politician could be assumed to have a political career, household chores, childcare responsibilities and also supporting their partner’s career. Anne has also theorized “The equation of femaleness with housewifery is basic to the structure of modern

Overall, the representation of elected women now stands at about 25 % at each level of government, including on municipal councils, in provincial/territorial legislatures and at federal level. (Parliament of Canada, 2016) With this significant gender parity in politics, the paper examines the causes of the under-representation of Canadian women in politics. Findings are based on scholarly articles and their analyzed data on why do fewer Canadian women run for political office. When taken together, the results presented in this paper argues that (1) unwelcoming environment (women and family unfriendly working environment) with lack of support in political engagement, (2) women’s experience of exclusion, paternalism and systemic discrimination in political realm, and (3) media’s portrayal of women as to be marginalized by the society are what cause Canadian women to be under-represented in politics. Finally, the paper raises an interesting question from the topic of gender disparity into further discussion of the discrimination within discriminated group women other than those privileged ones who are likely to be selected in public

“Of course it’s one of those questions that I don’t think a man has ever been asked when he is running for office,” says Nancy Pelosi, current House Minority Leader after she was asked about her children when she was running for office. "Don't talk about if she's had some plastic surgery unless you're going to talk about the fact that he's had hairplugs. Don't talk about if she's a fit mother if you're not going to talk about whether he's a fit father," states Jehmu Green, president of the Women's Media Center explaining Gloria Steinem's concept of "reversibility" which calls for equal treatment for female candidates. Potential voters are not capable of fairly reviewing the issue positions of a female candidate due to amount of unfair questions they deceive during debates or speeches.

In reality, however, women are equally and in some ways more qualified to hold leadership positions than men. Although there is no single explanation for why women are underrepresented in politics, the gender gap in the political arena stems from the lack of female participation in elections as women are often discouraged or feel threatened by society to run for political office. Young women who aspire a career in politics encounter both structural and emotional barriers, which prevent them from running for political office. Women battle issues of self-confidence, face stereotypes, and derive false perceptions of political campaigns, all of which broaden the gender gap in the political

There have been many significant strides since 1970 when women occupied almost no major elective positions in U.S. political institutions. Today’s society has reflected remarkable changes in women’s equality and acceptance. In 2008, Hillary Clinton received 18 million votes when she fought for presidency of the Democratic Party . In 2011, Sarah Palin was listed at the top of her candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. However, women are consistently being underrepresented in the political world reaching beyond just the federal level. Clyde and Thomas attest the underrepresentation to two basic reasons: lack of political ambition as well as historic exclusion of women from professions that tend to lead toward the political arena . Three central barriers contribute to the difficult road ahead for the

This childhood statement has permeated our society, influencing our politics. From the birth of our nation, women have been encouraged to stay in their traditional gender roles. To quote one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, women would be "too wise" not to "wrinkle their heads with politics." Although women obtained the coveted right to vote during the suffrage movement in 1920, men still heavily dominated politics, and women were left without adequate representation regarding their issues. The effect of this longstanding trend can be seen today in controversies over Roe v. Wade, birth control, childcare, and the wage gap, and is the proponent behind the reemergence of feminism. Despite all the progress it

In fact, fifty-seven percent of women in the United States participate in the workforce today. This states that women in the U.S are more involved in having a job, and becoming more courageous. “Don't let being a woman hold you back from the leader that you're destined to be.” This quote was said by Jamie Farsnel, who is a successful busnesswoman. This testimony provides encouragement to women from some of Farsnel’s observations and experiences. The motivation will reach the success that a woman wants, the hard work will reach goals that a woman has, and the positive optimism that a woman may have could reach others in need for inspiration. In one brief story, a woman, who was at the age of forty-five, was a political business women, and worked for the government. In the year of 2013, a thought finally came into her mind. The thought was that she remembered her long-lost dream ever since she was a little girl. That dream was becoming the president of the United States of America. She knew she had the education for it, she knew she had the skills of becoming president, and she knew she could accomplish her dream if she worked hard at it. But would other people refuse to vote for her as a candidate in the process of becoming president just because she is a woman? The thoughts

Professional and politically active women often encounter prejudice. Another barrier women face would be low socio-economic status. The barrier prevents women from getting any necessary funding for campaigns. Women’s experiences are often with volunteer associations or women’s groups if they have decided to enter the political world. Different socialization patterns are also a barrier for women entering politics.

Typically, female candidates are stereotyped to be better suited for certain policy areas like healthcare, education, and women’s issues (Carlin & Winfrey, 2009; Dolan, 2014; Dolan, 2010; Dolan, 2005; Falk, 2013; King & Matland, 2003; Lammers, Gordijn & Otten, 2009; Sanbonmatsu & Dolan, 2009; Sanbonmatsu, 2002; Schneider, 2014; Winfrey, Warner & Banwar, 2014). While men on the other hand, are seen to be better equipped to discuss issues like taxes, military, and the economy (Dolan, 2014; Dolan, 2010; Dolan, 2005; Falk, 2013; King & Matland, 2003; Sanbonmatsu & Dolan, 2009; Sanbonmatsu, 2002; Schneider, 2014; Winfrey, Warner & Banwar, 2014). Moreover, women are stereotypically seen as more compassionate and honest than their male counterparts, framing women as being too emotional and incapable for the job (Curnalia & Mermer, 2014; Dolan, 2014; Dolan, 2010; Schneider & Bos,

In the documentary, Miss Representation argues women are petrified when coming to the thought of being a politician, no matter how smart or beautiful a woman is they will always get depicted and judged for being a women, which leads to the loss of self confidence when running for a higher political position. As girls and women get older over the years the rates of a woman wanting to a politician reduces while the male rates rise: In Miss Representation when arguing about women being politicians, it is shown that when kids are at age 5 or 6 years the amount of boys and girls wanting to be politicians is equal or maybe higher in girls but, at 15 years its able to see that the girls wanting to be politicians drop and on the screen you see one

Whichever choice a woman makes, she will likely be scrutinized, criticized and objectified for her decision. If a woman chooses to pursue her career, she risks being labeled as frigid and selfish. If a woman becomes a mother, she must devote her entire existence to raising her children, which existing literature refers to as ‘mothering,’ a verb, something that is done. Women in politics frequently experience this phenomenon commonly known as the motherhood trap, which can affect many different perspectives and identities. The motherhood trap will be explored in depth in the following review of literature.

Historically, there has been a lack of motivation and interest from young people to become involved in running for political office. It does not matter at what level that office may be. It could be at the local, state or national level. As this has been the case for many years, it has over the years has gotten more evident. Lawless and Fox, in Running from Office, looked at this problem and made suggestions in an effort to resolve and help this issue. The lack of involvement and interest in running for office by women is especially disappointing for me. As I personally have an interest in politics, I do not have any desire to run for political office.

When Sylvia Bashevkin wrote “ the higher, the fewer” it was to indicate a pattern in women's political participation. The number of women in politics drops as one moves upward to the upper tiers of government, federal or provincial. The gap between the number of women involved in politics to the number of women in the country is still too wide. Over half the population is female and yet less than 25% were Members of Parliament in 2011. As of 2016 only 31% of senators were female. This gap highlights the need to continue to pursue the feminist movement.

Not only are woman subjected to society norms based on their personality characteristics, but also on their life choices and “domestic responsibilities” questions arise for woman like “who will care for you children and husband”. Montague Kern and Paige P. Edley state that women will continue to be “criticized for abandoning their traditional family roles” (1). This topic is not something that is brought up to their male counterparts. I don’t believe I have ever heard a man be questioned on who was going to assume the responsibility of raising their children. So until society genuinely accepts that raising children and other domestic issues are shared endeavors, then women will continue to face this barrier. (Robson, 208)