The United States is Ready for a Female President

I'm very pleased to be having this debate. Thanks to Con and good luck as well. As per the debate format, I will be making a case but not responding to Con’s this round. Pro has defined ready as "completely prepared or in fit condition for immediate action or use." I will obviously be using the latter for my case. So I will contend that the US is in fit condition for a women president. Moreover, this is immediate. I can’t argue that by next elections we’ll be fit. I have to argue that we’re fit right now, even if it can’t come to pass until 2016 or later. Moreover, I don’t believe it’s necessary to be completely prepared in order to be in fit condition. In 2008 we were in fit condition to have an African American president even though not everyone or every aspect of American society was prepared. Representation; more women needed in politics In any democracy it’s important that the different demographics receive representation. In America, half our population is female, yet only 18.5% of Congress is female. 20% of senators are female. 18.2% of the house are women.[1] Obviously, we’ve also never had a female president. This means women are not adequately represented in politics. A woman president would be both an important milestone for women as well as increasing representation for that demographic. To increase the role of women in politics it’s necessary for a societal shift to take place. Electing a woman for president would help to stimulate this shift, moreover it would help correct this unfortunate representative gap in politics. Women and men are both equally capable of holding government positions but since there’s such a displacement of gender in government positions, more women need to be elected. It’s not just that we’re ready for a woman president. We need more women in office in general. Attitude towards having a female president It was not always the case, but today American citizens are certainly ready to elect a woman president. Gallup reported that in a 1958 poll, only 54% said they would vote for a generally well-qualified women for president. In 2012, that number was 95%.[2] Americans are quite open to a female president. In april 2014, a poll was conducted to assess how warm or cold Americans felt towards certain candidates. The top two candidates were Elizabeth Warren then Hillary Clinton. That means, according to this poll the two candidates that Americans feel most warm to are both women. [3] Democrats are extremely open to electing a woman president. In a poll conducted in October this year, 65% of democrats said they would vote for Hillary Clinton if the primary was held today. 10% said Elizabeth Warren. That’s 75% of democrats who want either Clinton or Warren for president. The republican poll did not feature any women which is why I don’t mention it. [4] A national survey this conducted year revealed that for the 2016 elections the fact that a candidate was a women would not matter for 71%, it would make 19% more likely to vote for that candidate, and 9% would be less likely to vote for the candidate. Republican conservatives were the most reluctant towards supporting a woman. 19% would be less likely, however 10 % would be more likely to vote for the candidate and for 70% it would not matter. [5] Those who oppose a woman president are very much the minority even within those groups who are least in favor of having a woman president. A cultural shift is needed We need to redefine gender roles and do our best to abolish gender stereotypes in America. "The gender stereotype of women as warm, nurturing, and caring and the corresponding stereotype of men as cold, competitive, and authoritarian may have contributed to a popular perception that women are less effective than men in leadership positions, though in fact they are equally effective. Eagly, Karau, and Makhijani (1995) conducted a meta analytic review of gender and leader effectiveness and concluded that men and women are equally effective leaders, unless the leadership role is gendered (people expect the leader to be male or female)”. [6] A woman president would help show both women and men that women are capable of being leaders. The status quo needs to be changed and electing a competent female would help alter it. Either we wait until the status quo changes to elect a woman president or we help change the status quo by electing a woman. Why should we not go with the latter if the opportunity arises, which, as shown, it very well might? America is in fit condition for a woman president precisely because of prevailing stereotypes that deter women from pursuing political careers. These notions and attitudes do not make America unprepared for a women. Rather, a woman president would help dispel them, not just for our current society, but for future generations. The important point to keep in mind, however, is that we (should) elect presidents based on their capabilities, not gender. Moreover, electing a president just because she’s female even though not able might harm women’s rights if she performs poorly and thus becomes a demonstration for those against women’s rights that women can’t lead. Thanks for reading. Back to Con. Sources [1] http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu... [2]http://www.gallup.com... [3]http://www.quinnipiac.edu... [4]http://www.washingtonpost.com... [5]http://www.people-press.org... [6]http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu...