No United States (US) president has ever been called “madam president.” While many women have been elected into congressional positions and appointed into judicial and executive positions, no woman has ever become president. Worldwide, numerous nations have had women as leaders. This reflects a grave shortcoming in the US system of government. Since men have held federal government positions for centuries, it is time for voters to look past gender norms and elect a woman to break through the presidential “glass ceiling,” the invisible barrier women confront when trying to achieve high-level positions. Truly, the US cannot claim to be a progressive and equal country if only men have served in the Oval Office. Former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg summarizes the need for women in political positions when she states that “women belong in all places where decisions are […] made.”
US citizens did not elect a woman into a federal position until 1916. Miss Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to break a glass ceiling by becoming a congresswoman, according to senate.gov. Her victory in 1916 emphasizes the stark reality that for 127 years, only men represented Americans in politics. However, women make up more than half of the population, according to worldpopulationreview.com. This statistic is indicative of a regressive aspect of the US government that only having a woman as president will solve.
Today, things remain almost unchanged. Women are still a minority in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. Specifically, only 25 percent of the Senate is women and only 29 percent make up the House of Representatives, according to cawp.rutgers.edu. In addition, women have a six percent higher average of graduating from college than men, according to forbes.com. Often, women are more qualified than their male opponent to serve in office. Considering that slightly over half the population is female, it is time for US citizens to elect more women into federal positions. Clearly, with representation far below 50 percent, gender plays a key role in determining the outcome of elections. Voters must eliminate gender biases and elect members of Congress based on their qualifications. How can women ever have their political needs heard if their representation remains far below the majority line?
Fortunately, in 2024, women broke the record for the number of governors elected. While 13 out of 50 governors is an underrepresentation, it is still a triumph, according to pbs.org. Surely, any crack in the glass is a step towards breaking the highest ceiling. Ms. Kelly Dittmar, Director of Research at the Rutgers Center of American Women and Politics, commented on why the US needs women in more leadership positions.
“It matters to have women in those roles to normalize the image of women in political leadership,” Ms. Dittmar said, according to pbs.org. “[A]nd even more specifically in executive leadership, where they’re the sole leader, not just a member of a team.”
Twice, the US has been close to having a woman as leader in both the 2016 and 2024 Presidential Elections. However, male dominance continued. The US Executive Branch has been run by men since its founding in 1789, according to The New York Times. Not once in the past 235 years have the American people been led by a woman. In fact, many US citizens are beginning to wonder if a women will ever have the opportunity run their so deemed “progressive” country, according to The New York Times. Once again, the inequality between men and women in the political sphere remains palpable. After 235 years, is it not time for a woman to lead the US?
Nevertheless, the determination of women persists. In the past decade, two women have been selected as a major party’s presidential nominee. In 2016, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention. Despite winning the popular vote by 3 million, she lost the Electoral College to Mr. Donald J. Trump and conceded. Subsequently, Vice President Kamala Harris, the second Democratic major party nominee in the US, lost the 2024 Presidential Election to former President Trump, according to cawp.rutgers.edu. Regardless of the outcome of both elections, their nomination to a major party gives women a glimmer of hope for the future of politics. It is only through breaking the barrier of the presidential position that the US will become a more equitable nation. Senator Elizabeth Warren addressed why, notwithstanding the losses, the progress of both Vice President Harris and former Secretary of State Clinton is revolutionary to the advancement of the US as a nation.
“It is enormously disappointing not to make it across the finish line in 2024,” Senator Warren said. “But we’ve come a long way in just a decade, and we’re not giving up.”
While no woman has ever served as president, Senator Harris became the first woman to be elected Vice President of the US in the 2020 Presidential Election. Along with former Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, former Governor Sarah Palin, and former Secretary of State Clinton, Vice President Harris also was the fourth woman to be on a major-party presidential ticket, according to cawp.rutgers.edu. Certainly, she has broken through nearly to the highest ceiling. Although women have not made headway in the presidential position, the progress she demonstrated is crucial to future generations of women in politics. It is through the road that Vice President Harris paved that a woman will soon become president. However, this breakthrough is up to the American people, as they have the power to nominate women to represent the major political parties.
Despite Vice President Harris’ advancements in the political realm, the US is still falling behind many other nations. Globally, women have served as president and prime minister in a multitude of countries, including but not limited to, the United Kingdom, India, Israel, Germany, and Canada, according to The New York Times. Moreover, only 90 of the world’s 195 nations have had female leaders and the US is not one of them, according to www.worldatlas.com. Numerically speaking, men still do “run the world.” Hence, it is time for a long-needed change. Americans must aim to shatter the barriers that prevent women from achieving political success, so other countries can follow in its example. The world will not have gender equality if only men hold positions of power, and women’s political needs continue to be suppressed.
Ultimately, the world needs both men and women to hold leadership positions in order to create a fair and equitable world. For the US, the only way to move forward is to shatter the glass ceiling by electing a woman into the Oval Office. Essentially, this action would break the standard tradition of having a man as president and propel the country forward towards a future where the world treats both men and women the same. In her concession speech at her alma mater, Howard University, November 6, Vice President Harris emphasized that even though she lost her presidential election, she remains hopeful for the future.
“Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place, you have the power,” Vice President Harris said, according to The New York Times. “You have the power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.”
Featured Image by Emily Shull ’25
