Disclaimer: I do not hate men. I do not think all men hate women, nor do I think they are all incapable, sexist animals. It's absurd that I even feel the need to put this in here.
If I were to ask you to picture in your head a lawyer, judge, senator or the President, what would you see? My guess is that, more often than not, you are picturing a man in a crisp navy blue suit. Am I right? It's nothing to be ashamed of, even I tend to automatically picture a man in that position. Why would you picture anything different when the game of politics has been a man's sport for so long? You would think that by 2016 we would have let go of the ridiculous notion that people with a Y chromosome are more suited to performing certain jobs than those without. And yet, I'm still fighting to prove my worth in my field.
For those of you who are still skeptical that women are at a disadvantage, here are 11 things we have to deal with regularly while trying to survive the already cutthroat world of politics.
1. We are considered too fragile for such difficult work.
If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me if I will be capable of handling the stress and difficult choices I will be faced with in an International Human Rights career, I could go graduate from law school debt free.
The truth: yes, I can handle it. Do not diminish my value as a problem solver merely due to the fact that I have a uterus. I have had to make more than my fair share of difficult decisions in the past, and I am doing just fine.
2. People are constantly asking us irrelevant questions.
Do you see men being asked why they decided to change their haircut? Asking why they don’t spend more time with their wife and kids? I have definitely never heard someone accuse a man of being selfish when he chooses his career over a family.
Quit asking us trivial questions that are completely unrelated to the matter at hand. My hair style has nothing to do with the work I am performing, and you asking questions like this implies that you think I am lacking the intelligence and motivation required to perform my duties. I really don't care what you or anyone else thinks about my hair, so let's move on to the real issues.
3. We deal with sexual harassment on a regular basis.
I could not tell you how many times I have heard someone say "I bet she slept her way to the top" when referring to women in positions of power. Not only do people accuse us of using our bodies to achieve power, but a lot of the men in our field expect it. It is a common assumption that most women in the political sphere are willing to perform sexual favors to advance their careers. Because, you know, we are completely incapable of making any progress without a man's help, and always looking for physical affirmation from our male counterparts.
This could not be any further from the truth. Women are just as capable as men, and we do not need to use our bodies to further our careers. Oh, and if I wanted to smile I would.
4. We are accused of man-hating if we push a feminist agenda.
Just because I refuse to stop fighting for my right to be paid as much as my male counterparts does NOT mean that I think men are worthless creatures. I have no problem with men, but please stop pretending you will suffer if women are given the same rights and privileges you enjoy. You still don't believe me? Why do you think that disclaimer is at the top of this article?
5. We have less freedom in our careers than men.
Men involve themselves in scandals all the time and it's rarely discussed. A woman dares to enter the realm of politics and is forever under a microscope. Look at the current election. Donald Trump and his supporters tweet bigoted, racist, sexist claims on a daily basis, but it's best if we just sweep that under the rug and pretend it doesn't happen. Hillary Clinton calls this group of people deplorable and days later the media is still having a field day. And if female politicians had public affairs on the same level as so many men in our field, our careers would be over.
6. If we are upset about something we're being "too emotional."
My male coworker is on the phone screaming at someone's secretary because someone didn't do something exactly as he would have liked. It's ok because that means he's passionate about his work. I express my frustrations with the injustices I see around me and I need to calm down and not get so worked up over the little things.
7. Our jobs would be so much easier if we were men.
No one would question our capabilities or diminish our value as politicians, judges, lawyers, etc. We would be able to accomplish a lot more with fewer roadblocks.
8. But we don't care because we have plenty of inspirational women in our lives to encourage us.
And yes, that includes ourselves. After all, if you can't be inspired by the great things you are accomplishing in spite of the many obstacles, then what can you be inspired by?
10. The game of politics may not welcome female players with open arms...
We have accomplished some pretty great things in the face of adversity, but I guess that still makes some people uncomfortable.
11. ...but you can rest assured, we aren't going anywhere.
Because you might not want to believe it, but we know that we're just as capable as men.
We're just trying to make the world a better place, and we won't let the patriarchy get in the way of that.
