News Woman President!

[Lady of Longbourn]

Angela Merkel reelected Chancellor of Germany, who has been in office since 2005.

Germany, UK, Israel, India (to name a few) have all had women presidents/prime minsters/chancellors.

Why can't the United States?!

 

[scout86]

I can't think of a GOOD reason. We need someone who would do a good job to run. I'm not sure Hilary Clinton is it. She might be up to the task, although I wasn't hugely impressed with her as Secretary of State, but I think she's too polarizing and would be hard to get elected.

I've always worked in male dominated fields and have noticed, over the years, that I've had more issues with women than men and women have often been harder to persuade of my abilities. I have no idea why this has seemed true, but it does. So, I'm not so sure a woman candidate could count on her "fellow women" voting for her. The whole gender bias thing is a little strange. AND, I wonder what's different, if anything, in the countries that HAVE elected a female leader that would affect the probability.

 

[Meadowsweet]

As someone from the UK who was around in the eighties, I wouldn't wish Margaret Thatcher on anyone. This is the woman who once said of single mothers: "It is far better to put these children in the hands of a very good religious organisation, and the mother as well, so that they will be brought up with family values." and that children born outside of marriage "devalues our values, our community" and that governments make things worse by providing social security benefits for single mothers. She did a lot of damage to the country.

So it doesn't necessarily equate that a woman will care any more about women or children than a man would. It's really more worthy to wish for someone who gives a shit to be in power than for it to be a woman.

 

[Deleted member 20280]

As a male from the Uk who although only a teenager in the eighties I would agree wholeheartedly with @Meadowsweet

 

[anthony]

Having had a short-term PM here in Australia, Julia Gillard, she set females in politics back 20 years with the damage she did. I think this desire for people to see a female in power, is just plain silly. Countries who have done it, most have done so due to pressures and not because they deserved and earned to be in that position.

Earn it... then maybe the job they do will be good, instead of idiotic crap due to social pressures just so people can say they've had a female running it.

 

[reallydown]

I wouldn't say Merkel is there because of pressure and, even though she's more on the conservative side of things, I feel she's done a pretty good job...for Germany at least. (Not to say Conservatives are incapable of doing a good job...I just mean in terms of my personal preference and, arguably, conservatives do tend to have worse records...but then again, it depends on what one cares about, I suppose)

Also, I would add that while I agree in principle with the "earn it" philosophy (that is, everyone should, women AND men), it is naive to think women don't face more unfair obstacles than men...

 

[anthony]

I think society still has a way to go with equality yet... and as I've stated here often, if women stopped fighting with one another and just got on with things, like men tend to do, then women would be running this world, not men. Women are genetically smarter than men. Statistically too. Women just can't stop bitching and whining about other women to get on with the job at hand. Emotions get the better too often still... but then if that changes, what else changes? What a pickle of an analogy that is!!!

 

[Deleted member 20280]

And as we are both ex-military @anthony , it is a well know fact that women are in the whole, a hell of a lot more patient than we men.

Hence when it came to me taking my marksmen skills, it was widely accepted that the ladies were better at waiting and patiently 'Sniping' the enemy than any male marksmen. A skill I took to the test in my old rifle club.......Every woman I pitted myself against was a better and more accurate shot than I could, or would ever want to be.

'Patience is a virtue' as they say.

 

[scout86]

Women just can't stop bitching and whining about other women to get on with the job at hand.

That might count as a "sweeping generalization".

 

[Hashi]

Another Brit who thinks it might be good to look beyond "woman" and stay with the individual concerned.

I think there can be much value in having a woman in power, not least symbolically. At the same time, it can mean very little, or the opposite of what people might hope for. Individual idealogy has always got to be more important... which is as it should be.

The most important question should always be "what are the politics?" not "what is the gender?".

 

[Meadowsweet]

Men vs women lol :whistling:

Men have the capacity to be in touch with their own traditionally feminine traits (emotion, compassion) and women have the capacity to be in touch with their traditionally masculine traits (objectivity, logic). The ideal candidate for power is the balance between masculine objectivity and feminine compassion.

So it figures that rulers should all experience at least a couple of years therapy to a) help them get in touch with their emotional side, or b) help them step back from their emotions to see from a more objective stand-point.

Lol, assessment and diagnoses of our wannabe rulers might be interesting too :wacky:

 

[anthony]

The other problem with all in power, is that they have advisors advising them. If every advisor doesn't have that same objectivity, same non-biased approach, then the advice is shot to shit and the decision is tainted.