The Glass Ceiling Effect

2016 was the first time this country has had a female presidential candidate because society is very much still ordered by what men do. For instance, the Access Hollywood of Donald Trump’s candid remarks about women and groping them and trying to sleep with them were made by Trump knowing full well he had a microphone on. He was engaging in locker room talk in a braggadocios manner because he knew he was the most powerful person in the room.

Yet, when he was in the presence of his female costar and the cameras were on him, he was on his best behavior, knowing that when you are in the spotlight you have to behave a certain way that is acceptable to the public.

For a woman who wants to lead, there is less of a sense of leeway in society: she is not allowed to have these private moments wherein she engages in this type of talk or candor, unless she is of a particular type of person who, like Trump, simply does not really care about the rules. When it comes to electing a president, society is a mixed bag as this last election has shown, with half the people voting for Trump and the other half voting for Hillary.

Could Hillary have run before and won? Is gender that important to people? Yes and no. For some people, they just cannot fathom a woman being a leader. They think that she will be too emotional. Yet men can be just as emotional, as Trump has demonstrated in his own presidency. As Schaefer points out in Chapter 12, there are expectations “regarding proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females” when it comes to gender roles in society (slide 4).

Trump was able to maneuver these expectations adequately enough to win the White House: he came across as a strong masculine leader, despised by half of Americans, loved by the other half. Hillary, on the other hand, came across as confident and strong in her way too—but also despised by half and loved by the other half.

Many people, however, did not want her to lead because they did not like her husband and did not like her condescending attitudes at expressions at time—for example, how she tried to get around the investigation into her computer server and her handling of classified information. Many people had a bad taste about her that also went beyond gender and went into ideas about right and wrong, morals, and ethics, and nationalism.

At the same time, Trump was judged by a different set of ideas and standards (his supporters did not mind his infidelities). I have worked for a female boss in the past on numerous occasions—and just like working for a male boss, there are times when it is good and when it is bad.

Gender is not really the primary issue; the primary issue of what makes a man or woman a good leader has to do with honesty and transparency and being supportive of others and demonstrating a good will. I feel that a female president would run this country the same as a male president—but that what would really matter most is whether the male or female president has a.