BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Kathy Hochul Is Now One Of Nine Female Governors, But Narrowing Gender Gap Requires Less Scrutiny

Following
This article is more than 2 years old.

The first woman elected governor in the United States was Nellie Tayloe Ross, who succeeded her husband William Bradford Ross in 1924. Since then there have only been 44 other women to hold the gubernatorial position. The latest one, Kathy Hochul was sworn in Tuesday as governor of New York—the state’s 57th person but first female to hold the position. While this marks a milestone for the state and for women in politics, it simultaneously begs the question, how much longer will it be and what needs to be done for the United States to have, in a given year, governors in the double digits? 

Hochul took office following Andrew Cuomo’s resignation—a decision that followed the attorney general’s investigation and announcement that the long-time politician sexually harassed multiple women. Now she is now one of nine female governors in 2021. This is a record that was set in 2004 and repeated in 2007 and 2019, the Associated Press reported. Women still trail far behind men in holding gubernatorial positions. The delayed and yet-to-come gender parity in politics, according to researchers, can be attributed to scrutiny and unfair stereotyping, while toning down on this and instituting policy that better accommodates female candidates may help narrow the wide gap. 

The amount of enquiry that women face stagnates much of their process. Women politicians are typically “held to a higher standard than men politicians, and there is a pattern of women politicians having their lives scrutinized in a way that men politicians don’t typically experience,” said Alison Dahl Crossley, Executive Director of The Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. 

Stereotyping jobs against women is another factor that can contribute to deterring women from politics. Rachel Bernhard, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UC Davis and coauthor or Good Reasons to Run: Women and Political Candidacy, has found that “women face bigger barriers running for higher offices that are stereotyped as masculine—like mayor—than they do for lower offices like school board that are stereotyped as feminine.” These impediments translate to qualified female candidates being 10% less likely to win a mayoral race than a man of equal qualification. 

And the scrutiny persists. The average woman running for office is actually more qualified than the average man running, Bernhard said, pointing to Hochul as a good example of this. Hochul served as New York’s lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2021 after serving as a congresswoman and the Erie County Clerk. “But when women run, voters overlook their qualifications,” Bernhard said. “Often there's a big focus on women's families, appearance, and relationships that just isn't there for men.” 

Running for office and being judged on aspects that are hardly under one’s full control instead of accomplishments, political agenda and other relevant points shows the long road ahead. Founder of Vote Run Lead Erin Vilardi is more hopeful about the future. She has noticed a trend in the past five years that indicates the resistance by women to these projections. “Women are no longer interested in fitting a particular mold when running for office,” she said. “They’re truly running as themselves.” Voters are on board with this and aim to vote for those “who look different than a traditional candidate,” according to Vilardi. In some cases, minimizing outside scrutiny might help women gain courage and build a harder exterior to fight through the reality of a political campaign or career. In other cases, embracing one’s individuality regardless of stigma and criticism rather than pushing to be perceived as qualified or proper enough might work. Perhaps a few more years of examining the behavior of women in politics and their voters can bring to light a more accurate portrait of gender proportionality and treatment in twenty-first century politics.  

To open the gates and encourage women in politics, it seems likely that progress requires more than just a change in perception, or how voters and other candidates view women. A combination of behavioral changes toward women and policy adjustments may be needed. Bernhard argues that having campaigns cover childcare expenses while encouraging women to strengthen their career paths by pursuing appointive offices and commissions regardless of whether they have kids or demanding jobs would help shift the landscape.

In recognition of Women’s Equality Day on Thursday, Hochul tweeted, “Though women have come so far, we still have a way to go. On this #WomensEqualityDay, I encourage women and girls everywhere to look toward the glass ceiling and shatter it. Because there are ceilings yet to be cracked.”

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out my website