Despite the outcome of the Nov. 8 election, this presidential race marks a significant milestone for women.
Hillary Clinton has opened the door for little girls, sisters, daughters, aunts, mothers, and grandmothers to add another possibility to their list of aspirations: President of the United States.
In 2008, Clinton made a speech at the National Museum of Women in Washington addressing that it was no longer extraordinary for a woman to have as much power as a man. She encouraged women to get back up when they were knocked down. Clinton said that the light was shining through 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling for her appointment as Secretary of State, though still not broken.
Women have run for president and vice president in the past, such as Jill Stein of the Green Party’s presidential campaign in 2012. However, Clinton is the only female presidential candidate nominated by a major political party.
Compared to Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic candidate for vice president in 1984, Clinton is receiving more positive feedback, according to CBS.
Whether or not the public agrees that Clinton is an ideal presidential candidate or a better choice than Republican nominee Donald Trump, it is important to recognize the significance of her accomplishments.
She has proven that women can hold positions of power typically given only to men.
Article one Section two of the Constitution lists the requirements and qualifications for the presidency: The President must be at least 35 years old, have lived the United States for 14 years, and be a natural born citizen.
The Constitution does not state that the President must be a man.
Women have been able to vote for 96 years compared to men’s right to vote obtained in the late 1800s, causing a false unwritten “rule” that the President can only be male because they had suffrage first.
The election of President Barack Obama did not end racism, just as Clinton’s will not end sexism, should she win in November.
Clinton is helping us all to live out the principles of democracy. Everyone is equal under the law. She advocates for equal pay for equal work, an issue that has yet to be fixed.
“[Clinton] knows that for progress to happen, we have to listen to each other, see ourselves in each other, fight for our principles but also fight to find common ground, no matter how elusive that may seem,” President Obama said at the Democratic National Convention.
Regardless of whether Clinton wins or not, her nomination has shattered the glass ceiling. If a woman can become President, then women can no longer be told what they cannot be. Let us celebrate the moment.
