Women, Politics, and American Socity pg. 68-76 -- Reaction

Textbook Reading
Nancy E. McGlen, Karen O'Connor, Laura van Assendelft, Wendy Gunther-Candy

When I was in eighth grade we were talking about women in politics and whether women could be presidents. I was surprised to find how many of the boys, my actual friends, said they wouldn't vote for a woman for president. This was in 2007 when Hillary Clinton and Obama had just declared they were running. When I asked my male friends about this, completely surprised and pissed off, they said, in a complete over simplification, that they didn't think a woman could "push the button that would bomb another country if the US were under attack".

Now, I walked straight up to my friend, more then one, glared straight at them and asked "You think I couldn't do anything I could to defend my country if it were under attack?" Every single person I asked that either backed down or said "Well not you Miranda, just women" This was the clearest demonstration of stereotypes and discrimination that I have ever seen. It showed how much people, especially men, look at the stereotypes instead of the woman. Media focuses on what women look like, how they fit stereotypes, instead of who they actually are. When the boys in my class put what they were saying into perspective of who I was and what they new about me, they changed their minds. But the first thing they hear is woman and the first thing they think of is sweet, docile, and emotional.

The statistics in this last reading supported that idea, although thankfully those views have been decreasing. Strong women stepping forward and proving stereotypes wrong have definitely helped and if I ever did enter into politics I would want to be one of them. It was also interesting that when the book mentioned the women in most likely to be interested in running for office, I fit the bill exactly. "parents who vote in every election, have been told that they should run for office, and believe they can make a difference in solving problems". Not only this, but I fit demographically as well. "white, full-time college students, daily Internet users, and registered voters" (the last part I will be as soon as I can). Seeing myself in the statistics I'm reading as well as seeing them actually play out in my life makes the reading more personal, more real.