The United States is Ready for a Female President

Good luck to you. Extra clarification: On a personal note I am a self declared feminist, and as I stated in the first round would have no personal issue with having a Female President. This debate is of interest to me as I formally studied Political science in college and gender studies are incredibly relevant to political science and most especially International Relations. Opening argument: I understand "Completely Prepared" to mean prepared in every way. I will show that the U. S. while it may be in many specific ways "ready" for a female President, it is not "completely prepared" or in other words not ready in every way for a female president. What Problems would a Female President pose for the U. S. ? Of the many duties that a President has, the first one listed in the U. S. Constitution is that "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States. " (1) This leads into my first contention A: Is the U. S Military ready for a female commander and chief? "On Jan. 24, the Pentagon announced that the ban on women in combat arms Military Occupational Specialties, such as infantry and artillery personnel, scouts, tankers, cavalry and more, will be lifted. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta claims that now all "talented and qualified people [will] be able to serve this country in uniform. "(2) How was this received? "The reaction from the right wing, like former U. S. Army officer and Arkansas Congressman Tom Cotton, is that women are "biologically unfit for combat;" that they are incapable of performing to the standard of their male counterparts; that it "goes against their nature. "(2) The U. S. Military, whether right or wrong, has shown great resistance to equal treatment of women within their ranks. If the U. S. Military has shown it is less than "ready" to treat women equally, what would make anyone think the U. S. Military would be "ready" for a female commander and chief. The mistreatment of women in the military "According to the Department of Defense (DOD), an estimated 19,300 sexual assaults occurred in the military in 2010, and yet only 13.5% of total survivors reported assault. Military sexual violence impacts service men and women in the Active Duty, Reserves and Guard forces, as well as cadets and midshipmen at the U. S. military academies. Victim-blaming, lack of accountability, and misogynistic climates are pervasive throughout the U. S. Armed Forces, preventing survivors from reporting incidents and perpetrators from being properly disciplined. "(3) How can a female commander and chief effectively lead the military when Women by and large are abused, mistreated, not respected, and not equal within this community? Simply put the U. S. Military is not ready for a female commander and chief. B: Would being female make the President less effective in foreign affairs? In the field of International Relations, gender is a significant field of study as is evident in this current textbook starting on page 108. (4) The President of the United States meets with leaders all over the world. Many countries in the world not only would not be receptive to council from a female president, but keep women in general inferior in their countries. (4) How would a female President be able to work effectively with the middle East where many of the leaders of those nations view women as inferior? This would make the President"s ability to lead on a global stage and interact with other nations considerably more difficult. It would make the President less effective in fields that the U. S. is already struggling globally. This is another way in which the United States is not ready for a female President. The idea that the U. S. is "ready" for a female President is optimistic. It could be argued that the U. S. "should" be ready, however from a practical standpoint the United States is not ready for a female President. (1). http://www.archives.gov... (2). http://www.defendwomensrights.org... (3). http://servicewomen.org... (4). http://www.ablongman.com... (5). http://www.onlineuniversities.com...