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One of our biggest goals is to get more women into government positions–but there are still plenty of obstacles that can keep female candidates off the ballot. Here, we’re looking at two: money and looks.
The Money Gap
Whether you’re running for POTUS or City Comptroller, political campaigns cost money. A lot of money. Even for positions at the bottom of the ballot, it takes serious investment to get your name and policy positions in front of voters. As a result, a variety of political recruitment and funding networks exist at the local, state, and national levels. Political insiders working with lobbyists, businesses, foundations, high net worth individuals, and the parties themselves raise money to attract and elect candidates that match their desired profiles. And guess what? The majority of these networks, like the majority of corporate boardrooms, are still male dominated.
In addition, the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) recently found that women aren’t making political donations nearly as much as men. Since women are more likely to donate to women candidates, the impact of this engagement shortfall is enormous. Kira Sanbonmatsu of the CAWP said that “it can impact who decides to run and how successful they might eventually be.” The Washington Post found that most female state legislators “had never raised more than $100,000 in any capacity, far lower than the kind of money needed for a national or gubernatorial race.” Without ample funds and name recognition, it’s less likely that either party will support a woman for a higher position.
The Presentation Gap
One of the biggest obstacles for female politicians has nothing to do with policy or connections–it’s about appearances. Although there’s a baseline “professional look” generally required for both sexes to appear “electable,” men can achieve it with a haircut and an off-the-rack suit. For women, it’s not quite as simple. Female politicians are closely scrutinized for their clothing, their hair, and their makeup. One only has to look back to the McCain/Palin or the Clinton/Kaine campaigns to remember the way each female candidate’s look was dissected by the media.
Achieving the correct look to minimize media criticism isn’t just exhausting–it drains a significant amount of time and money from female political candidates. According to a survey by the Today Show, the average woman spends over 335 hours a year on her appearance. For political candidates, it’s much higher. Virtually every female candidate has an anecdote about how her policy proposal was overshadowed by the outfit she was wearing when she made it. You’d think that as a society we’d be past that sort of thing by now, but clearly, we are not.
What's Next?
In spite of the obstacles, female participation in politics has been rising. The current Congress has more women than any before. You can help keep the momentum going by donating to or buying merch from programs that help train and fundraise for female candidates, like “Ready to Run”, "Emerge America", or “Represent Women.” And if you are able, consider running for office yourself.
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It's still a male dominate world. More men in power and only see a brotherhood, no collective leadership .
Men have always had superiority over women. It's hard for a woman to even get paid the same as a man. Society treats men like they are the most important and valuable humans. Women have to work harder than men to just get the respect that men get.