Research Blog - Gender's Impact on Politics

Kira Myers

The idea that everything is equal and nothing is unfair in the world of politics is absurd and clearly not believable. If a person takes a look at campaign ads and television broadcasting, what they would see is a male dominated field of work. Now, there is of course an inequality for men, but with this specific topic, it is more likely to have unfair treatment and opportunities working against women. Especially since the upcoming election for 2012 is here, there is a lot to actually look at and understand to get a better idea of the gender inequalities that are present.

In the world of politics the social norm is for a man who is strong and a leader to be the face of politics, not a woman. A section from a journal article that I found called The Achilles heel of women in politics by Gillian Tett discussed how herself and other women were ecstatic about have a female finally representing in the politics world. Seeing Sarah Palin stepping up and getting a women into that field was something inspirational to Tett, yet after seeing her not knowing much about what was going on in the world and important things. In my opinion, that right there possibly could have fueled others to say that’s why women shouldn’t be in the politics field. 

As stated in the article, “A female face was considered a potential ‘game-changer’”.  I agree, but to what extent would a face be able to compete with such a male dominated world and field of work? There has to be more and even if there was, a woman having the knowledge, the credibility, and all the qualifications still wouldn’t be enough simply because she is a woman. There is a bias and men will always seem to have the upper hand. Female power is greatly limited. 

From the article Gender and Politics over Time, it’s clear that things for women in the politics world has changed and progressed. Although that may be, things haven’t progressed enough. Things will be better when a woman can make a strong appearance and give a strong opinion in a male dominated world without being label a “bitch” or “emotional”. That is truly only when there will be another step forward into change for women’s roles in politics. That is only when a new era can begin.

Works Cited

   Gillian Tett.  (2012, March). The Achilles heel of women in politics.  Retrieved April 19, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2618058861). 

 Gretchen Ritter (2007). Gender and Politics over Time. Politics & Gender, 3 , pp 386-397 doi:10.1017/S1743923X07000268