The topic of women in politics has been a never-ending discussion for years now. Unlike the rest of the world, the political field has been falling behind in progressiveness—women, especially those of color, face endless harassment from men both online and in real life. Some completely deny the fact that women face discrimination (especially Trump supporters), but the reality is that women are treated horribly without consequences. We need more women in politics, and the ignorant behavior of others is not helping.
A major issue within politics and the media is gendered coverage. People have suggested one too many times that women need more political training; this is not proposed for any man, and the misogyny is evident in this comment. Many still hold the old fashioned patriarchal thinking that women belong in the kitchen or shopping malls, but really, women belong everywhere.
Another stereotypical comment made by many men is that women are ‘too emotional’ to be involved in politics. Firstly, this is scientifically untrue; this assumption is driven by the cliche that women are emotional because of menstruation, etc. Furthermore, it has been proven many times that men often get temperamental during heated political debates that are broadcasted nationally with no repercussions (take a gander at the U.S.’s first presidential debate). If a woman acted melodramatic just like some men, they would instantly be slammed with the ‘emotional’ label.
Evidence suggests that when women in political positions are interviewed, they are often only asked about topics such as sexism and racism, but not the type of politics they are in. This does not happen with men. Men also use misogynistic insults such as ‘like a girl’ or ‘girly’ as discriminating terms, discouraging women and girls alike.
Public speaking was also at first deemed as a male attribute, which is why it’s historically hard for women to be truly accepted in a political world. Public speaking began 2,500 years ago in Greece where men were required to give speeches and women were not. The way women are analyzed in their speeches is eminently prejudiced as well. For some reason, it is crucial for a woman to be ‘likable’—their actual policies and ideas are never really discussed. They are also criticized for their choice of clothing as if that has any significant importance in politics. Again, this never happens with men. It is seemingly not important for a man to be likable or not, and their plans are actually listened to. One’s viewpoints should not be valid only because of their sex. When a woman is displaying acts of toughness or masculinity, she is seen as rough and lacking warmth and empathy; if they portray a more feminine outlook, they are seen as vulnerable or weak. They can never win at a game designed for men, which is why we need to change the rules.
Women also face a massive amount of criticism online. They experience gendered insults, often in the form of sexual threats; they are more likely to be targets of hate speech, and women of color receive more abusive threats. Articles and speeches written by women are also criticized harsher regardless of the content. For men, harassment means name-calling; for women, harassment means death and rape threats. A recent example of this would be Kamala Harris. She has been met with possibly hundreds of thousands of insults from both anonymous and opposing parties.
Tim Young, a conservative comedian, tweeted ‘If you think you’re having a bad week, imagine being Kamala Harris who had all that work done to look like a dog-face pony soldier and not get picked to be Bidens VP.’ This attack is completely uncalled for as it entirely disregards Harris’s substantial efforts. He has no right to be commenting on her facial features, which have no relevance in how well she can lead, let alone spread rumors about whether or not she has had plastic surgery. Harris’s personal life and looks play no importance in politics. Unsurprisingly, Fox News has also contributed their share of remarks, saying ‘there’s something that’s not warm about her [Harris]’. This has been said about possibly every woman in politics—the discrimination is very real. Tomi Lahren, an American commentator on Fox News, tweeted that ‘[Harris] slept her way up into California political life’; yet, there are never comments on a man’s sex life (again, it has no place in civics). Harris has also been demonized for her alleged sexual affairs whereas Melania Trump is a posed nude, which says a lot about political perspectives on black women.
Another case of relentless torment is against Erin Schrode. Four days before the 2016 congressional primary in her Northern California district, she received an enormous amount of threats in her email, cellphone, and social media platforms. These menaces included rape and death threats, with one particular user saying ‘All would laugh with glee as they gang raped her and then bashed her bagel eating brains in’. No one deserves this kind of threat. The misogynistic culture stemming from this argument is redundant, and no white, straight, male politician would ever experience this kind of harassment. Another one said ‘It’d be amusing to see her take twenty or so for 8 or 10 hours’, suggesting another gang rape. Threats like these can seriously scar someone; it should not be normalized for the political field to pose higher obstacles for women. It has been two years since Schrode has lost the Democratic primary, but she still receives threats from sexists online, making humorless jokes to ‘preheat her oven’.
Another politician, Kim Weaver (an Iowa Democrat), was forced to drop out of her competition against Representative Steve King because of harassment. Online trolls snuck into her property and put up a ‘for sale’ sign. The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website, published an article titled ‘Meet the Whore Who’s Running Against Steve King’. This immature, derogatory title is unacceptable, and women, unlike men, constantly have to put up with this sexualization. When Weaver withdrew from the race, King suggested that she had faked the threats: ‘Democrats drove her out of the race—not R’s. Death threats likely didn’t happen but a fabrication.’ So not only are they degrading, sexualizing, and threatening her, they’re also gaslighting. The audacity these men have and their desperation to retain power they do not deserve is disgraceful.
Women have been mistreated by society in so many different ways for decades now. The facts are clear: Straight white male candidates’ qualifications are never questioned. They are never asked about their sex life, judged for their appearance, or flooded with rape threats. The visible extent and variety of semantic insults towards women goes to show how most female politicians, who have contributed substantially to American welfare at large, have to put up with tremendous amounts of unwarranted hatred because of willful ignorance. The way women are treated discourages them from going into politics, and at a time like this, we need women to make decisions as it benefits the overall population and not just one gender. We need the system to change. We can no longer live in a society that favors only one race and gender and collapses when a feminist icon dies.
And, just a side note—a man would not last a day in a woman’s shoes.