Women In Politics Assignment 3
Ashley Allen
Southern New Hampshire University
POL 371
What are your 4 take-aways from the program?
The year 2018 marked a turning point for women in politics. For Democratic women of color,
such as Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, this is especially true.
Although they make up the core of the Democratic party, women of color have historically been
underrepresented and under-elected. 2018 saw 270 women run for congressional and
gubernatorial office; 117 of them won, and most of them were women of color. Since 1992,
when fewer women were competing for and winning office, there has not been a mass election of
women to congressional and governorship offices.
Politicians' interpretation lack thereof—encourages additional women to run. The long-standing
exclusion of women from politics probably contributed to the rise of female candidates for office
in 2018. This was a strategy for restructuring the Democratic party. When all of the candidates
elected share the same gender, racial identity, and socioeconomic status, democratic republic has
a problem.
In order to field as many female candidates as the Democratic party, the Republican party still
has to make significant progress. This is due to the Republican Party's extreme rightward and
conservative shift, which has led to the party's preponderance of older white men. A female
candidate for president is, however, more likely to win if she is a republican and on the
conservative side as compared to a more liberal democratic candidate, according to research on
women in politics.
It is unmistakably true that women matter in politics, despite the common claim to the contrary.
When Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election with 53% of white women's votes,
women started to feel the need to run for government. More women feel that they are represented
and that there won't be any bias if they run for office when more women start to run for office,
starting a domino effect that encourages more women to run for office. Yet, the 2018 election
was just a first step toward attaining female parity and representation in politics rather than the
eventual goal.
Which caller made a point you found interesting?
When Victor phoned, he remarked, "In history, you might not always get the president you want,
but you might get the president you need at the right moment. Donald Trump is using his
language to accomplish a lot of things that we disagree with, but it's possible that he's also
strengthening and igniting the women's movement in order to highlight many outstanding
women who have been running for office and succeeding in several areas. Although I agree that
the rise of female legislators is a plus, I believe that Trump's effect on this trend stems from a
place of prejudice and heartlessness, which makes it difficult for me to view it as a plus.
If you could have called the program, what question would you have asked (or what
observation would you have made)?
I might have inquired as to whether female contenders had to use or refrain from using particular
words in order to "make themselves more electable." I'm curious to discover which phrases are
beneficial or detrimental while speaking as a female politician because women's comments are
typically subject to more severe scrutiny than those of males.
Is 2020 (presidential election) also going to be a good year for women according to you?
No matter who wins the election, women will make 2020 a successful year. Whether we elect a
new president or have four more years of Trump, I think policies will develop and
currently-elected female leaders will start working hard to promote legislation that safeguard
people's rights.
