In the 2016 presidential election women, men, feminists, and non-feminists alike will have to make tough decisions as to who they would like to cast their vote for. Women are expected to vote for Hillary Clinton because they supposedly identify with her. Political figures, civil rights activists, and feminist leaders are putting a large pressure on female voters to either vote or not to vote for Hillary Clinton. With people whispering in both ears of the American public, voters are conflicted now more than ever because the issue is more than voting or not voting for a woman because she is a woman. The power of the vote is in our hands and we truly need to consider what this power means.
The real issue facing voters is not whether or not they should vote for Clinton just because she is a woman. According to Gloria Steinem -- yes, women should vote for Clinton; not to would be going against one’s gender. However, such a statement fails to consider the voter’s ability to look beyond demographics. The real issue is not one of gender, but one of the future. Should all women vote for Clinton because she is a woman, and therefore, can relate to the female struggle? Should women vote for Clinton because if we do not have a woman in office now, could it take much longer until another female candidate decides to run? Will it discourage female candidates from running in the future? Or if we do elect Clinton and she is not a good president, will the rest of the country be hesitant to elect another female into office in the future? The answers to these questions are unknown and, until we roll the dice, we are not going to know. Although we do not know the answers, by considering them, voters are making efforts to understand the political climate and how feminism will be affected by it.
Although there is risk and potential in electing a female president, voters must also remember what she stands for. Her gender is important because she is going to fight for gender equality and be a role model for thousands of women. If a male candidate were going to do the same, it would be just as important to vote for him.
The presidential election of 2016 needs to be focused on electing a president that will promote gender equality. Regardless of who is elected, public policy needs to change to make America more accepting of all genders and all forms of genders. Ideally demographics shouldn’t play a role in the election of a presidential candidate, but all candidates should be involved in making our country more diverse and more accepting of that diversity. In electing a candidate the represents this diversity and can help construct its acceptance, voters are making the right decision. It can also be argued that, although President Barrack Obama possibly was not one of our country’s greatest presidents, he still represented the diversity of our country.
Currently, there are several candidates the represent diversity and that represents a large success in American politics. This country was founded on the acceptance and mixing of all people from all areas of the world. Today, it is more diverse than ever and electing presidents other than white men demonstrates our united efforts to have our leaders more representative of our culture. The tough questions of who to vote for in the 2016 election are temporary, but the trend of electing leaders that truly speak for the people can be permanent.
