As a country, we stand on the brink of electing our first female president. This symbolic glass ceiling has been shattered by none other than one of the most qualified and accomplished politicians to run for office.
Women’s issues, like sexism, equal pay, and abortion have come to the limelight of this election cycle. Beyond electing a competent and capable first female president, we should also contemplate the future of women in this country.
Coincidently, the ugly rhetoric of this political cycle has put how women are viewed in the workplace, society, media, and politics out in the open. Now that these issues have been drawn out, how will we address the inherent sexism and discrimination that many women face?
In this election cycle alone, our first female presidential nominee has been dinged for smiling too much, not “looking presidential,” and wearing monochromatic pantsuits-concerns that should never be an issue in a presidential debate. Fashion police, maybe, but critiquing appearances goes against exactly the core message of the fight for equality.
With the advent of a new era of politics, whether positive or negative, the issues we are discussing should be used as a platform to create more awareness for these issues.
We as a society should extend this conversation about women’s issues even beyond the election.