“I imagine women and men are equal. Besides in a single context. When it is advisable intimidate a overseas chief and undertaking energy, you desire a man,” Rebecca, a White lady in her early 30s, stated, whereas chatting with a bunch of aged girls supporters of Kamala Harris, at a park in Bethlehem in northeastern Pennsylvania on the finish of October. “And when you may have a 3rd world conflict approaching, and I imagine that we’re at harmful second, I would like a robust man like Donald Trump to be in cost.” The opposite girls clearly disagreed, however saved quiet, in all probability searching for to keep away from an argument.
A whole bunch of miles away, within the Deep South, Quinton, a Black man in his early 20s, who doubled up as a safety guard and parking attendant at a resort on Beale Avenue in Tennessee’s Memphis stated, “A girl can’t lead America. It’s a man’s job. She may have a nervous breakdown. Ladies get emotional. How will she resolve what to do when we now have to combat wars or negotiate with overseas leaders?”
And in Washington DC, Phil, a White man in his 50s who labored in ironmongery shop, stated in mid October. “It’s about energy and weak point. Kamala is weak. It’s not her fault. She is a girl. Trump is robust. Look they attacked him a lot, however he survived as a result of he’s a person.”
Misogyny will not be distinctive to America. And the thought of entrenched patriarchy is not only distinctive to males. However the conversations with Rebecca, Quinton and Phil (all of whom requested that they be recognized by just one identify) confirmed how America’s misogyny and entrenched patriarchy have continued to form American politics. The world’s oldest steady dwelling democracy has as soon as once more rejected a girl presidential candidate.
To make certain, the 2024 verdict was a results of a number of elements, and Trump could effectively have defeated a male nominee of the Democratic Get together. However in Harris’s defeat, sexist assumptions about what a girl can do and can’t do was positively an element — it was additionally ironical to listen to her being framed as weak when Harris has spent a lifetime overcoming challenges to rise to the place she did, an indication of clear energy and character.
The truth that America hasn’t had a girl head of state ever, even when societies with a historical past of anti-women violence and at a lot decrease ranges of socio financial growth have been comfy electing girls leaders, is putting. This reporter, as an example, has by no means heard a voter in India ever cite a girl chief’s gender as a consider figuring out the vote whereas in US, the reference to Harris’s gender as a weak point was incessantly heard.
Trump has now crushed the one two girls who’ve turn out to be nominees of a serious social gathering — Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Harris now. And whereas girls proceed to seek out area in politics at different ranges and in management positions throughout completely different skilled spheres, this setback will hang-out events and make Democrats reluctant to appoint a girl candidate anytime quickly.
The truth that People rejected a girl candidate in the identical yr when abortion was on the poll provides one other dimension to the decision. Harris had made the restoration of reproductive freedom a central plank of her marketing campaign, after the Supreme Courtroom rolled again nationwide abortion protections leaving girls to the mercy of usually brutal state bans. Ladies voters, in massive numbers, voted for Harris and there’s a gender hole that’s clearly evident within the election.
However simply the truth that males didn’t assume that abortion was a problem that involved them too, like a majority of them didn’t assume {that a} lady chief may characterize them, will rank as a key and deeply disturbing takeaway about American society from the mandate of 2024.
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