Today, the US will have its’ first female Vice President, but there’s still more work to do. 

As a woman, whether or not you’re a Democrat, it’s hard not to let out a small cheer about the fact that there is finally a female Vice President-elect in the United States. Harris is the first woman and woman of color to take on the second-highest leadership role in the United states.  Talk about a barrier-breaking moment for the US. 

In the year of 2021, people still note the significance of a woman stepping into a leadership role. While this is a sign of progress, these higher positions of office should have been filled by women for many years preceding. 

The representation of women through leadership positions is not only necessary for equality, but it’s common sense. According to the 2010 United States Census, women make up 50.9% of the population, while men make up 49.1%. I don’t know about you, but that makes me wonder how men still hold the majority of political leadership positions. 

This 2020 election has so far appointed a record number of women to serve in the US House of Representatives. That ‘record number,’ according to Pew Research, is currently at 144 women-between the Senate and House. Women make up 27% of the House of Representatives while making up 24% of the Senate. Women constitute the majority of the US population and yet that small percentage is considered record-setting. 

Do not get me wrong, I think we should celebrate this amazing progress for women with Harris as Vice President and the highest percentage of women we have seen in the House. However, I hope the percentage doubles by the next election. It is my wish that it becomes a normalized concept for women to be in high leadership positions. 

In case education is important to people when selecting leaders, one should take into account that according to the official website of the Center for American Progress, women “earn more than 57 percent of undergraduate degrees and 59 percent of all master’s degrees.” So, in addition to constituting the majority of the population, they also constitute the majority of the degree-holding population in the US. 

I’m taking this moment to encourage voters and society to ask themselves “why are more women not in leadership?” While there’s no good reason, there is a reason. In Psychology Today, Jean Lau Chin Ed.D wrote that her research continues to find that women frequently “1. experience challenges to their leadership, 2. are questioned about their legitimacy as leaders, 3. are evaluated more negatively than men doing the same job, and 4. face performance expectations often associated with their social identities rather than their leadership.”

Taylor Swift considers the blocks women face that Jean Lau Chin found in her research in her song ‘The Man.’ In the chorus Swift sings “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man.” Swift’s entire song relates to the findings of Chin in that the lyrics consider how women are constantly questioned about their legitimacy and evaluated more negatively in career and political pursuits. 

Now that we are aware of the issue, it’s important to make a conscious effort to overcome these gender-biased blockages women face everyday in their careers, in politics and even in their personal daily lives. Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg said that “in the future there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” A female was just elected to hold the second-highest leadership position in the US, but there is still more work to do. 

Ways to overcome gender bias and give women a fighting chance in leadership positions: 

  1. Always speak out when you hear a sexist comment that belittles women in any capacity. 
  2. Educate peers and family members about the issues women face and how there is still inequality to overcome. 
  3. Empower your female peers! Let them know that they can truly do anything and push them to follow their dreams in spite of the evident mountains women have to climb. 
  4. Fight for your own dreams and credit as a woman. Make a case for the promotion/raise you deserve, focus on your hustle and don’t let the patriarchy stop you! 
  5. Vote for women. Look up all the elected officials in every election period and find out if there are women who have similar policies as you. 
  6. Remember, you’re not second to a man. You matter just as much as the next guy. 
  7. Start a support group for the women in your workplace. Get together and discuss ways you can ensure you’re getting paid the same amount as men, receiving a fair chance in competition at work and fight any gender-based harassment. 
  8. If you’re a leader, consider women for a promotion, pay equally and keep yourself in check for gender-bias.