In search of a woman president

  

One wonders if it’s even possible. Will the most powerful nation on earth ever be ruled by a woman? 

I don't mean to sound sexist; I’m just pondering what it would take. Typically, to become president one must have name recognition (helps to be a celebrity), charisma (helps to be a celebrity), and a seemingly perfect wife.  

Perhaps it’s the third element that's holding women back. Most female candidates have a husband who would inevitably become the first first gentleman, and American society doesn’t know what to do with that. 

I bring this up because if (and it’s a big if) at least half of voting Republicans would turn on Donald Trump due to some unforeseen event, Nikki Haley could become the Republican nominee for president. 

I can’t comment on whether Haley would be a good president, but at the very least, she has a sense of decency that few Republican candidates have shown as of late. (Note: I wrote this before her comments on the cause of the American Civil War where she avoided all mention of slavery – a sad commentary on what it takes to win the Republican nomination.) 

 Based on national polls, she has a much better chance of beating Joe Biden than Trump. But that’s all hypothetical at this point. Because as we know, as soon as it comes closer to reality that the U.S. could have its first woman president, all kinds of faults may be found. 

We’ve heard some of them already. She’s past her prime (she’s only 51, but I guess for a woman that’s comparable to a man in his 80s?). She too soft on Trump (valid, but also impossible to do without alienating half of all Republicans). She wears high heels. That third one might be the biggest issue. Americans don’t know what to do with leaders in high heels. 

Being a woman is itself problematic, not only in the U.S., but in Canada too. The general population will vote in the most controversial white man to office (think Rob Ford and Trump), but a woman must overwhelmingly exceed expectations to obliterate that proverbial glass ceiling. 

Hillary Clinton came close. If she was a man, I can almost guarantee she would have won the 2016 election. She had baggage, she lacked charisma, and she was a woman. All three worked against her, but in such a close election, her gender may have made the difference. 

It’s not easy to reshape societal attitudes. Men still rule the clergy. Men still dominate politics, the military and law enforcement. In religious parts of the U.S., men are viewed as head of the household.

With male dominance, comes a neglect of female empowerment and family benefits. Women are the most likely to be caregivers, to give up some of their earning power to take care of children or family members. This is the least compensated sector of society. 

Under U.S. federal law, women are granted a mere 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. The U.S. trails Canada and most European countries in parental benefits, yet this postnatal issue rarely comes up in their elections – it's almost always about one prenatal issue: abortion. 

I would like to think a woman as president would focus more on these issues, but they too are beholden to their base. A Republican woman president may or may not move the needle much when it comes to women’s rights. One has only to look at Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as the prime minister of the U.K. to see how little opportunity can be offered to women when one is in charge. 

But the reality of a woman president could have a lasting impact. The influence Barack Obama’s presidency had on the Black community was immense. Similarly, a woman as president would leave a positive impression on girls and women worldwide, with the understanding that the sky is the limit when it comes to female empowerment. Think of the message it would send to countries like Iran, where women are still fighting for basic rights like the freedom to travel abroad without their husbands’ permission. 

Particularly when one considers the political alternatives (ahem, two old white men), choosing a woman to head the White House – Democrat or Republican – would surely be a positive one.