Southern Indiana Business July-August 2020 | Page 40

“I think there’s this misconception
that women are very emotional. Men are
emotional, too,” Yates said. “I just think
there’s way more to us, and we have way
more substance than what we’re given
credit for.”
Women also have to go above and
beyond to prove themselves as leaders,
she continued.
“With women, I think that we have
always fought for justice, whether that
be in front or behind the scenes, and we
have not always been given the credit that
we’re due,” she said.
“But it’s a new day.”
Still barriers to climb
There are still challenges for women.
The country has yet to have a woman
serve as President, and fewer women are
in elected office than men.
“There are so many barriers to women’s
participation in public office,” said
Rhonda Wrzenski, associate professor of
political science at Indiana University
Southeast.
Women have historically been less
likely to be in professions people associate
with running for political office and
are typically older when they run for
office compared to men, she said.
Also, women tend to assume more
responsibility for child care and domestic
labor, and that can be seen as a liability as
voters assume that women should prioritize
their families over politics, Wrzenski
said.
“When men are more likely to hold
office, women may grow up seeing
politics as a man’s domain. This lack of
female representation has consequences
for recruitment and the mentoring of
female candidates,” she said.
“It may leave women feeling like they
can make more change through charitable
work or interest group advocacy.”
There’s also the factor of public
scrutiny.
“Young women have grown up watching
candidates like Hillary Clinton and
Sarah Palin getting torn apart by sexism,
40 July / August 2020