Sexism has no place in politics

Christian Nunes
| The Detroit News

Gender shouldn’t matter when it comes to choosing a president — but after nearly 250 years of American democracy and zero female presidents, it clearly does. If we want to save democracy, something has to change.

The question is not whether voters are ready for a female leader. Vice President Kamala Harris has already passed that milestone.

She has more than proven her integrity, leadership, and effectiveness. Every time this sexist trope is used against Harris, voters see it for what it is: a cheap ploy to prevent her from breaking that last glass ceiling above the White House.

A better question is whether voters are willing to support this proven leader, whether they will stand behind her when she is attacked hard, whether they will be her allies during the campaign and, if elected, in governing.

Women know that every day they are “ready to lead, and lead.” And they know that to win in November, Harris will have to overcome centuries of sexism and decades of extremist politics.

To succeed as the first female president, Harris must count on a broad coalition of support, one based on shared values and fundamental rights, not partisan quarrels.

Less than a year ago, Pew Research examined voter attitudes toward women and political leadership, specifically the importance of electing a female president and the likelihood that voters would do so.

Only one in four said they thought it was extremely or very likely that the U.S. would elect a woman president in their lifetime. When asked why there are fewer women than men in office, more than half (54%) said women have to do more to prove themselves, and 46% said many Americans aren’t ready to elect a woman to high office. That’s the result of the history of sexism baked into our politics — a history we can and must change to defend our democracy.

Gender will matter in this election as much as it has in so many others, but perhaps in a different way.

In 2016, 53% of white women voted for Trump, while 94% of African-American women and 69% of Latinas voted for Hillary Clinton. A repeat of that result could spell defeat for Harris.

Of course, the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy will make gender a central issue in this campaign. Her opponents will try to put her on the defensive and make her explain why her gender is not an obstacle. Voters will see through that, too.

The issue of women in politics should not be an issue. And it certainly should not be a weapon to diminish and weaken our democracy.

We cannot accept a campaign system where men have an advantage and the finish line is out of reach for many women.

Increasingly, today’s voters, especially younger voters, are no longer motivated by partisanship or personal attacks, but by their values, such as the right to vote, reproductive rights, gender equality, fair pay, and safety in schools and the workplace.

These are the cornerstones of our democracy; women can be as ardent defenders of democracy as anyone else. When we say democracy is “government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” that must include all people.

These are different times, and we are a different nation, one that we are still creating and improving. Harris’s presidential bid will demonstrate how addressing gender bias in politics, along with that last glass ceiling, is a long-overdue solution.

Christian F. Nunes is the president of the National Organization for Women.