America's ‘President’ seat is far away from 'Woman’. The defeat of Kamala Harris in the US presidential election led to the discussion that discrimination against women continues in the world’s superpower US. The question is why the voters there did not support Kamala Harris, who was the Vice President and played a very important role in the previous President Joe Biden's government. Suspicions are getting stronger that she won't win just because she is a woman.

The absence of women in federal-level politics in the United States is currently a topic of discussion. The gap between the number of women and their representation in government highlights the obstacles that impede gender equality in political leadership. Women make up 50.5 percent of the population in the United States, yet only 20 percent of all officeholders in the 2023 US Congress.

In recent Presidential Elections, the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was defeated by the Republican candidate Donald Trump. It is worth mentioning that the candidate who was defeated by Donald Trump in the previous presidential election was also a woman. In the 2016 presidential election, Trump defeated his then rival Hillary Clinton.

Harris encountered many obstacles

Kamala Harris's run for president post, similar to Hillary Clinton's in 2016, encountered substantial obstacles linked to gender prejudice. Donald Trump's campaign, characterized by contentious comments regarding women, stood in stark contrast to Harris's emphasis on women's rights. In spite of backing from notable women, Harris found it challenging to win over a sufficient number of moderate conservative female voters, underscoring the double standards encountered by female candidates.

In the 248 years of the country's democratic history, there has not been a 'woman president' until now. Some women contested for ‘White House’, but could not reach the shores of victory. In recent elections, Kamala Harris of Indian origin gave tough competition to Donald Trump but stayed away from the Oval Office.

Lot of struggle for the ‘Right to Vote’

In many countries, including Singapore and Finland, women are the leaders and are running the country. But in America, women had to wait for many years to get the right to vote. In 1920, women here got the right of voting, but it was limited to a few. After years of struggle, finally in 1960, women of all communities got the right to vote. Those who have gained political consciousness in this process are represented in the legislatures but are unable to get close to the presidential seat.

Hillary or Harris… story was same!

Previously, Margaret Chase Smith and Shelly Chisum ran for the presidential nomination. In modern day politics, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris reached the election and suffered defeat. In 2016, Hillary Clinton got 30 lakh more votes than Trump in the election. But she lagged behind in the crucial Electoral College. Recently, Kamala Harris gave a tough competition to Trump. However, she was lagging behind in popular and electoral votes.

Women in White House race

There have been many attempts in the past for women to run in the US presidential elections. Some contested for the candidacy and lost, while others stood in the presidential race and got defeated.

Let's take a look at the women leaders who have tried for the president post.

·         In 1872, as per the American political history, Victoria Woodhull is considered the first female presidential candidate for her 1872 election candidacy.

·         In 1964, for the first time, a woman named Margaret Chase Smith ran for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party. But she did not get the candidature. She was the first contender for the president post.

·         In 1968, Shelley Chisum was elected the first black woman senator. In 1972, she announced her candidacy for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. But she also faces the defeat.

·         By 1980, feminism gained momentum in America. As a result, in 1984, Geraldine Ferraro became the presidential candidate for the first time on behalf of the Democratic Party. But she failed to get approval from the party.

·         In 2008, Hillary Clinton stood as the Democratic Party candidate. But, she could not get party nomination. Finally, she contested in 2016 elections against Donald Trump, but unfortunately lost the elections. Hillary was the first woman nominated for president by a major political party and the first woman to win the national popular vote in 2016 election.

·         In 2024, Kamala Harris, who ran for the presidency of the United States, could not reach the goal. Harris became the first female vice president in 2020. She ran in 2024 to be the first woman president of the US, but lost to former president Donald Trump.