An Inconvenient Truth: Women as a Minority in Running for Office
-Kaylor Duncan, Radford High School & Natalie Tomlinson, Broadwater Academy
History has a way of repeating itself and MGA is no exception. In society, minorities have to be even more diligent and persistent than the common candidate when running for office. They have to speak eloquently, appeal to an unlikely majority, and most importantly, they have to withstand the test of time. Women have continually struggled to hold high government positions. In the sixty two years of previous MGA processes, there have only been six total female youth governors. The first was in 1957 and the most recent was in 1997. Needless to say, the number of female youth governors is extremely low. This year, there were four female candidates that ran for this position – Molly Greer, Victoria Price, Amanda Newman, and Annie Forrest. Forrest is now in the primaries running against Sam Baron, which is an incredible feat in itself. So what is it about women that make it so difficult to get elected?
A portion of women agree that men have a “natural charisma” over women, but the majority of this year’s female candidates disagree with this fact. “It just depends on their personality,” Victoria Price responded defiantly. It’s obvious that any girl running for youth governor has to have an outgoing personality, they wouldn’t make it otherwise, but they also have to compensate for men’s natural attributes by being friendly, genuine, and likeable. Annie Forrest said, “I didn’t even think about it, I just decided to go for it.” It’s clear that these women are just as outgoing and decisive as the male candidates; the problem herein lies in overcoming the naturally biased opinions.
When looking at a female candidate, females are probably thinking, “Wow, why is her voice so annoying?” and males are probably thinking, “She’s really hot, but will she ever stop talking?” Not every situation is like this, but everyone has been guilty of this at least once even if they won’t admit it. Annie Forrest of Richlands High School said, “Women are just more judgmental naturally.” This is the astonishing burden that women have to carry when they run for office, so why do we continually subject them to this? Some would argue that it’s peer pressure, freeing them from blame, but moreover, this habit appears to be purely instinctual.
“I wasn’t apprehensive about running just because I was a girl.”
We have all seen the typical charismatic, charming male candidate. They joke effortlessly, they transition into their serious persona without fault, and they practically receive votes with the wave of their hand. Perhaps this makes them more applicable for government positions and perhaps this makes them more qualified solely because of the way they carry themselves. It has been made clear that as a woman running for office, one is already at a disadvantage. Women not only have to raise themselves to the level where men naturally stand, but they must surpass this to even be considered. Molly Greer, a junior at Radford High School, said that one of the most apparent disadvantages as a woman running for office was “getting the man’s vote and having to be likeable for both genders.”
These harsh facts prove the point that it’s not easy for a female to get elected; perhaps this is a sign that voters expect too much and think too little. Whether we do this subconsciously or not, it is still a domineering force in the election process. One of Annie Forrest’s favorite quotes reads, “Adversity causes some women to break, and other women to break records.” So to all of the voters tonight, will your vote be the one to break the record?
History has a way of repeating itself and MGA is no exception. In society, minorities have to be even more diligent and persistent than the common candidate when running for office. They have to speak eloquently, appeal to an unlikely majority, and most importantly, they have to withstand the test of time. Women have continually struggled to hold high government positions. In the sixty two years of previous MGA processes, there have only been six total female youth governors. The first was in 1957 and the most recent was in 1997. Needless to say, the number of female youth governors is extremely low. This year, there were four female candidates that ran for this position – Molly Greer, Victoria Price, Amanda Newman, and Annie Forrest. Forrest is now in the primaries running against Sam Baron, which is an incredible feat in itself. So what is it about women that make it so difficult to get elected?
A portion of women agree that men have a “natural charisma” over women, but the majority of this year’s female candidates disagree with this fact. “It just depends on their personality,” Victoria Price responded defiantly. It’s obvious that any girl running for youth governor has to have an outgoing personality, they wouldn’t make it otherwise, but they also have to compensate for men’s natural attributes by being friendly, genuine, and likeable. Annie Forrest said, “I didn’t even think about it, I just decided to go for it.” It’s clear that these women are just as outgoing and decisive as the male candidates; the problem herein lies in overcoming the naturally biased opinions.
When looking at a female candidate, females are probably thinking, “Wow, why is her voice so annoying?” and males are probably thinking, “She’s really hot, but will she ever stop talking?” Not every situation is like this, but everyone has been guilty of this at least once even if they won’t admit it. Annie Forrest of Richlands High School said, “Women are just more judgmental naturally.” This is the astonishing burden that women have to carry when they run for office, so why do we continually subject them to this? Some would argue that it’s peer pressure, freeing them from blame, but moreover, this habit appears to be purely instinctual.
“I wasn’t apprehensive about running just because I was a girl.”
We have all seen the typical charismatic, charming male candidate. They joke effortlessly, they transition into their serious persona without fault, and they practically receive votes with the wave of their hand. Perhaps this makes them more applicable for government positions and perhaps this makes them more qualified solely because of the way they carry themselves. It has been made clear that as a woman running for office, one is already at a disadvantage. Women not only have to raise themselves to the level where men naturally stand, but they must surpass this to even be considered. Molly Greer, a junior at Radford High School, said that one of the most apparent disadvantages as a woman running for office was “getting the man’s vote and having to be likeable for both genders.”
These harsh facts prove the point that it’s not easy for a female to get elected; perhaps this is a sign that voters expect too much and think too little. Whether we do this subconsciously or not, it is still a domineering force in the election process. One of Annie Forrest’s favorite quotes reads, “Adversity causes some women to break, and other women to break records.” So to all of the voters tonight, will your vote be the one to break the record?
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