Since our country was founded in 1776, we have had 44 presidents. 43 have been white, one has been black and none have been women. Michele Bachmann recently said our country is not ready for a female president, especially not Hillary Clinton, because the voters elected an African-American president out of guilt and there is no guilt to elect a female president. She could not be more wrong.
Not only is our country ready for a female president, we desperately need one. Men, white men more often than not, have dominated politics in Washington, D.C., for too long, and our country has suffered as a result. We are currently stuck with the most ineffective Congress in the history of our nation. My generation has been sucked into two major conflicts, and thousands of young Americans have paid the ultimate price.
Men have had their chance and have not fared well. It is time to let women lead our country. At the very least, they could not do worse. A recent study from Business Insider found that when compared to men, women have higher levels of overall leadership in the workplace. It also showed that women outpaced their male counterparts in almost every category. Initiative, integrity, honesty and mentoring were just some of the categories of workplace leadership in which women had a firm upper hand over men.
This study was not a fluke, nor was it created to promote a feminist agenda. In fact, it was undertaken by two male academics. Over the course of a decade, the researchers collected data from leading business organizations worldwide. With more than 45,000 men and women in their data pool, this study paints a clear picture of the difference between men and women in the workplace. The outcome puts women ahead of men as leaders.
This study shows that, although our country has never had a female president, women are primed and ready to lead the country. The fact that women greatly outpaced men in the “integrity and honesty” category of the study could indicate that they would be better suited to serve in the White House. The office of the president has been plagued with a deep mistrust from the citizens of the U.S. This could only change if we pursue an option that has never been explored before – putting a woman in office.
Germany, Australia, South Korea and Costa Rica all have females occupying the highest office of power in their respective countries. Israel had Golda Meir, a renowned leader in young democracy struggling with wars; England had its famed Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. Where is the United States, the beacon of democracy throughout the world?
As we move closer to 2016, I am cautiously optimistic that this election cycle will yet again bring us a first – the first female president in the history of the United States. Voters are fed up with wars, gridlock and rudeness caused by their leaders. The country needs a new way of thinking and behaving. Let’s give a woman a chance.