WHEN the media reported Joe Biden as winner of the 2020 United States presidential race, it was a history making moment for both the president-elect and his running mate Kamala Harris, whose election broke multiple hurdles — especially a misogynistic political culture that still holds women back. “We did it, Joe”: those were the words of Kamala Harris as she called her running mate Joe Biden after a win in Pennsylvania took the Democratic ticket past the needed and required 270 Electoral College votes. Harris, 56, brings a legion of firsts to the vice presidency as pointedly captured by NPR Political Reporter, Juana Summers: A daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, will be the first woman, first Black person, first Indian American and first Asian American to hold the office. In fact, Kamala Harris now holds the distinction of being the highest-level elected woman, Black woman, and South Asian woman in the history of the country. Her election to the Vice-Presidency is a major milestone in the story of women’s evolving role in American politics as well as in the nation’s history.
The symbolic importance of Kamala Harris’ win as the first female, American VP is undeniable. But just as important is what it could mean in concrete terms for the country and the world at large. To put it differently, What does this historic win mean for women in politics? For countless women and girls, Harris’ achievement of reaching the second highest office in the country represents hope, validation and the shattering of a proverbial glass ceiling that has kept mostly men perched at the top tiers of government. While there have been many significant victories for women’s participation in politics in the intervening years, women are still met with scepticism, ridicule and objectification when stepping into the political fray. These are manifestations of an insecure patriarchy, jolted by the notion of women taking their place as leaders and decision-makers, representing their issues and interests instead of depending on men in power to do so for them. For minority women, these gender biases are compounded by racial ones too. And in the US, the trope of the “angry black woman” is an old, insidious stereotype. The trope, which emerged in the 19th Century, characterised black women as unfeminine, irrational and sassy.
For far too long, women in politics have had to walk a fine line between being assertive and not being seen as aggressive. Research shows that existing, unconscious gender biases can make women come across as condescending where their male counterparts might be lauded as confident. Attitudes towards women candidates are still largely characterized by deeply ingrained stereotypes, and political opponents will often use those stereotypes to question women’s capabilities. The entry of women into politics has historically been met with dogged opposition across the world – right from the earliest suffragettes in England who faced police brutality and sexual assault for daring to demand the right to vote, to modern elections where female candidates are attacked overtly and covertly on gender issues.
Harris however surmounted stereotypes and double standards on the way to being vice president-elect. She symbolizes everything we’ve been working for.” Women everywhere are breaking the glass ceiling in politics but their voices still go unheard and their contributions are too often sidelined. In many places women are still seen as incapable of taking on responsibility in what are perceived as male-oriented areas such as finance, energy, economic development, climate change, foreign affairs, defense, trade and infrastructure. This is often the case in parliaments where women are given ‘women’s only’ portfolios or only allowed to sit in women committees and are being pushed away from the other committees because of their gender. The point however has to be made that women have shown themselves to be natural community builders, with an intrinsic sense of perception, intuition and empathy that allows them to best identify people’s problems, provide adequate support and act as nurturing leaders. It is also the case that women in politics and high offices seek to represent other women who are effectively half of society or more, and can we really consider elections that do not include half of society democratic? Or see institutions without gender parity as strong?
In the final analysis, Harris’ win puts to rest the question of the electability of women to high and higher offices – a question that haunted both women and people of colour who ran for the Republican and Democratic parties’ (but more of Democratic Party) nomination this cycle. To women and girls of all walks of life, of every political persuasion, Harris’s ascension to the vice presidency broadens the horizons of the possible. Fortunately, Harris knows her impact and you can hear it in her victory speech. “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities. … To the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourselves in a way that others may not, simply because they’ve never seen it before. But know that we will applaud you every step of the way.” This is the real message and inspiration from Kamala Harris’ historic win and victory.
- Yakubu is of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria.
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