A WOMAN may be the next president of the United States? For a growing part of the world, news of this possibility will elicit little more than a collective, "So what?" Last week, Argentina elected its first ever democratically elected woman president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Last year, Chile elected Michelle Bachelet, a surgeon and defense minister to former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos. And don't forget Angela Merkel, the first woman chancellor of Germany elected in 2005. Women have every reason to rejoice and celebrate female leadership on a scale never before seen.. But this novelty will soon give way to women being viewed as just another class of politician, for good and bad.
This unparalleled surge of women seeking -- and winning -- high political office prompted a New York Times news-writer to call the female presidency a "21st century cliché." Surely this is exciting for women, regardless of their feelings on particular candidates. With the rise of lower-class politicians winning high office in Latin America as well, it seems voters want change. Any form will do. Especially regarding the corrupt, unstable history of most of Latin America, these citizens quite understandably want a break from wealthy white male rule.
By electing more women to office, though, the "time for change" rationale paradoxically will work against women politicians' interest in the future. Polls in Latin America show that voters see female candidates as less corrupt. Clearly this view arises from women being seen as political novices. But as more women serve in high office, citizens will move towards judging them on their individual particularities rather than grandiose assumptions based on gender. But for the time being, President Kirchner is right to feel "an enormous responsibility to her gender," according to a New York Times interview. As the first woman president, Argentineans may generalize Kirchner's behavior as representative of all women, especially in such a traditionally misogynist culture. If she lowers budget spending on defense or if the economy tanks, it will be because she was having female issues.
People try to deflate excitement over this gender progress by saying most of these women were not elected on merit, but on family relationships. Both Kirchner and Clinton are married to former presidents of their respective countries. Dynasties are nothing new in politics, even in America -- Bush, Kennedy, Harrison, Adams, Rockefeller, etc. Whether we like it or not, dynasties are here to stay. In a democracy, it's the people's own fault anyway if history books look like family albums.
In "Primary Colors," a film based on the Bill Clinton's first run for office in 1992, there is a scene in which Bill and Hillary Clinton's characters arranges a meeting with a New York political power-player's son (meant to represent the son of Mario Cuomo) in hopes of eliciting his and his father's endorsement. As they sit down at the diner table, Cuomo's character asks Hillary if she would mind the men discussing politics for awhile. Hillary innocently demurs, saying it would be alright. The audience senses great irony because throughout the entire movie, Hillary has been the one calling the shots, strategizing with the campaign staff until the early morning hours. But when it came to massaging a male ego, Hillary played the part of the innocent, politically-naïve housewife.
As women continue to grab the reins of power, they necessarily forfeit the more pleasant stereotypes of innocence, harmlessness and candor. And as the real Hillary Clinton learned in last week's debate, other candidates are going to play hardball, not in spite of her gender, but because she is the frontrunner. What a small price to pay for one more cross-section of the world to be viewed for their humanity rather than particularities such as gender or race.
There's nothing wrong with women feeling a sense of pride and excitement as they watch Clinton steadily press forward, no matter how vicious her critics become. From one woman to another, "You go, girl."
Marta Cook is a Cavalier Daily Associate Editor. She can be reached at mcook@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
WILLIAMS: Donald Trump will be a threat to student loan forgiveness
By Ryan Williams | 17 hours agoTo be sure, this is not a problem of the University’s making. Nevertheless, understanding the uncertainty of financial accessibility in education, the University must step up to the plate.
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 5 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 6 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
