Sexism and Politics

I read an article today that really made me think.

Is There Really a Bias Against Women in Politics?
Are women really discriminated against in politics? Sen. Hillary Clinton surely thinks so. But history suggests otherwise.

Indeed, she believes this year's presidential campaign has shown that sexism limits women's influence in politics. She claimed last week that "every poll I've seen shows more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman [than] to vote for an African American."

It's possible that Democrats are particularly sexist, but with women making up the majority of voters, one would think that politicians were ignoring women at their own peril.

In 2004, women made up 54 percent of voters. At least through early February of this year, women made up a much greater share of Democrat primary voters — accounting for between 57 and 61 percent of the vote in primaries and caucuses.
But whatever difficulties Clinton might be having, it seems that the policies adopted are much more important than who puts them into action, and the evidence indicates that women have long gotten their way. . . .

Read more here.

While the article had some incredibly compelling points regarding women's suffrage and political leanings, I don't think it really addressed whether there's really a bias against women in politics. While he addressed a number of issues, his argument boiled down to the fact that over 50% of voters in the U.S. are female, so there's no discrimination against women in politics. The author, a man, failed to appreciate, however, that many women are also sexist.

Until recently, I've never experienced career-related adversity because of my sex. The fact that I was female didn't matter in my education. I didn't feel that my sex mattered in my short stint in the corporate world. In my current job, nevertheless, my sex has really mattered, not to my employer or supervisors, but to my clients. As a plaintiff's attorney, I represent individuals, and a surprising number of individuals are sexist. I never dreamed that I'd actually have a client refuse to permit me or another female attorney defend him during a deposition. He would only permit the male attorney (who has half as much experience as the other female attorney I work with) defend him because he didn't think that a woman could do as good of a job. I've encountered a client who was unhappy with her offer from the insurance company and wanted her case transferred to a man because she thought a man could get her a better offer. That's just the tip of the iceberg. These people, both men and women, for some reason think that a man will better represent them in their lawsuits. These people are also voters. I imagine that if they don't want a female attorney, they won't vote for a female politician.

In my limited experience as an attorney, I've learned that sexism is alive and well. Further, it is not just men who are sexist, women do not trust their own sex to represent their interests well. For some reason, these women think that a man can do a better job in the legal, political, and business world than a woman can. Perhaps we all are a little sexist. How many of us think that a man can run a household or clean as well as a woman can? What sexist tendencies do we all harbor without even realizing it?