Can Clinton Mean Gender Equality?
How Electing Clinton Could Become Another Step For Women's Rights.
Voters can make history if either Democratic front runner is elected in 2008, but could Clinton's election to the White House finally mean true equality for women?
Clinton's candidacy itself shows what strides this country has made in the past decades. The United States has gone from a country where women couldn't even vote to a place where gender has little or no effect when a candidate is running for the presidency.
Multiple polls, such as The New York Times' July 2007 poll, show that 51 percent of women say that Clinton's gender will have no impact on their vote.
"I don't think that [gender or race] in and of themselves are as important as perceptions of the candidates, other personal qualities and characteristics, their issue positions and their elect-ability. Those are the main things that people are looking at," says Alan Abramowitz, an Emory University political science professor.
Since gender isn't a factor, political views and personal beliefs are a few reasons women give for their disapproval. A majority of women critique her believability and think that Clinton says what people want to hear, not what she truly believes.
A recent Pew word association showed that only 24 percent of people think of Clinton when they heard the word 'honest,' and even fewer said that Clinton came to mind when they heard the word 'friendly.'
In an attempt to combat these negative views, sites such as The Dallas News, cite her desire to be cautious as the reason for hesitation and wariness, not calculation and dishonesty.
Melissa Perry, 20-year-old Northwestern student, who was born and raised in New York, is one of those who isn't convinced that Clinton is sincere, even with the common New York and female bonds.
"I think she's not genuine, so I don't think she really has the capacity to do anything positive for our country," explains Perry. "It would be a sad day, if Hillary won," she adds.
While there are those who are opposed to Clinton, she has a large base of support. Her strong character and courage are just a few of the reasons why Kimberly Quinn, a strong believer in the campaign, made the decision to support Clinton, a woman she thinks can become one America's political greats.
"People shouldn't think that she can't do it because she's a woman. I mean, by God, she's tough enough. We've seen leaders throughout our history, like Madeleine Albright, as well as other leaders in other countries that have female presidents and we know that they can do just as good of a job, if not a better job as men can in that position of power," says Quinn.
Seventy percent of women polled by The New York Times think that the country needs one final women's movement to push for changes that benefit women. Clinton's election to the White House could finally balance America's slightly unequal gender scale, according to the women polled.
Beth Reingold, an Emory Women Studies professor, thinks that these historical trends and desires for a movement are good news for Clinton.
"We have milestones that suggest people are becoming more comfortable, and more exposed, to instances of women as individual leaders, and not just one of many. So, that bodes well [for Clinton]," says Reingold.
Even with numbers and trends on her side, Clinton still realizes the obstacles that face her as a presidential candidate, but uses passion, assertion and sometimes even humor to overcome these hurdles.
As a guest on "The View," Barbara Walters exchanges friendly dialogue with Clinton.
"So then who's going to be First Lady?" Walters asks Clinton, as they sit side-by-side.
"Well...you know, give a busy woman another job! I'll probably have to do all of that as well," says Clinton.
