Topic: Women representation in politics in the US
The participation of women in politics promises to improve the quality of leadership and achieve equity in public life. However, women have faced various challenges in entry to public life due to cultural reasons. In the US, women were constrained from voting until 1920 after the nineteenth amendment entrenched the right of every citizen to participate in voting. Women face cultural and economic barriers and have little participation in politics in the US. Although the US is considered a bastion in democracy, women still face myriad hurdles in their journey to public leadership. Although women enjoy equal rights to participate in political processes, the implicit bias that society holds about women denies them the liberty to excel in civic leadership.
Justification for the study
Although society appreciates the critical role that women play towards social stability, they continue to face disadvantages in participation in public life. Women at work generally face discrimination based on their gender. In the US, for instance, an estimated 42% of women face discrimination at work. Research shows that women routinely experience interpersonal discrimination based on their gender at work, in education, the legal system, and other sectors. Women also face discrimination in the healthcare system, and this results in skepticism in attending the requited prenatal and postnatal services. The failure to access medical care compromises the health status of women and jeopardizes the stability of the family. The Beijing Platform for Action prioritized women’s leadership to enable them to participate in decision-making and politics fully. The convention that took place in 1995 in Beijing China expressly advocates for the elimination of discrimination against women regarding political equality. Despite the fundamental gains of the initiative, women still face challenges in accessing political power (SteelFisher et al., 2019). Women must pursue political office to enable them to articulate gender issues and improve the quality of national discourse. Besides, participating in political office provides women with an opportunity to articulate the problems regarding the female gender. Without political participation, society will continue to diminish the contribution of women in society and deny the country the ingenuity that women possess. Women must engage in political processes to overcome the implicit bias in American society and attain equity in all spheres of life in the country.
Research Objectives
The overarching goal of this research is to establish how implicit bias in American society diminishes the participation of women in politics. The study seeks to achieve the following objectives.
- To establish the basis for implicit bias in American society
- To investigate how implicit bias affects the participation of women in politics.
- To determine the steps that society can take to address the address effects of implicit bias in women’s political participation in the US.
- To explore the gains, women can bring in American society through increased political participation.
Research Questions
- What are the bases of implicit bias against women in the US?
- What are the effects of implicit bias on women’s participation in politics?
- What are the steps society can adopt to address the adverse effects of implicit bias against women in the US?
- How can women transform society with increased participation in political office?
Literature review
The concept of implicit bias was advanced by Sigmund Freud to explain the subtle forms of discrimination individuals extend to others unconsciously. Implicit bias against women places invisible barriers in their path to advancement in various aspects of life. In American society, implicit biases mainly emanate from cultural factors and social patterns that advantage men. As a starting point in addressing this phenomenon, individuals must investigate both the internal and external causes of this evil (Madsen & Andrade, 2018). Culturally, women have been socialized to take up domestic roles and work towards the stability of the family. Consequently, women have remained outside the sphere of public life and diminished their participation in politics. The socialization of children in society also promotes the gender stereotypes that limit women’s advancement in education and the political sphere. Parents generally buy toys that promote domestic life for girls like dolls while boys play with cars to socialize them for the outdoors (Butkus et al., 2018). The movie industry, in its stereotypic portrayal of characters, also contributes to the perception that women cannot thrive in sectors portrayed as a male in public office. Hollywood often presents the women as susceptible and dependent on male characters. Consequently, society develops the attitude that women cannot excel in public life, thus hindering their participation in politics.
Implicit bias against women informs the privileges and liberties they enjoy in life. When society bases its judgment on subjective factors, women suffer discrimination and especially at work. Unconscious bias also leads to the depoliticization of gender and neglects the historical factors that have produced the effects. Whereas perpetrators of implicit bias may publicly proclaim the need for equal treatment at work, they unconsciously consider male candidates for promotion (Pritlove et al., 2019). The impacts are reduced self-esteem among women and a lack of interest in public life. Implicit bias against women in the US exposes them to poor career development and low pay at work. The notion that women belong to the domestic sphere propagates the view that they cannot perform as well as men even when they similar training (Pritlove et al., 2019). Consequently, women take up part-time jobs that enable them to spend more time with their children and avoid promotions that take them away from their hometowns. Authorities must address the sources of implicit bias and promote the involvement of women in public leadership.
The management of unconscious bias starts with the resocialization of society to prepare children for diverse roles. Parents must support female children who demonstrate a desire to venture into perceived male-dominated skills. Such children will compete favorably with the boys and ascend to the highest levels of leadership. Organizations can also train employees on implicit bias awareness to guard against discriminating against women at work. Observes that organizations promote bias against female professionals when they fail to address them through their official titles in public. (Files et al., 2017). When individuals appreciate their unintended adverse behaviors against women, they will take deliberate steps to maintain equity at work. However, women also contribute to unconscious bias when they fail to support other upcoming women in leadership positions (Derks, Van Laar & Ellemers, 2016). Women in leadership can enhance equity in society by grooming others to achieve critical numbers in political office. The impact will be improved self-esteem among women who will enjoy equal status with men.
Engagement of women in politics does not only benefit the female gender but delivers benefits for the whole society. The involvement of women in politics results in tangible democratic gains that achieve enhanced responsiveness to citizen needs and foster greater cooperation across ethnicities. Research has shown that increased participation of women in politics leads to meaningful policy-making towards improving the quality of life. The involvement of women in politics also leads to empowerment and enhances their ability to raise families and reduce child and maternal deaths. Society must, therefore, support women who desire to pursue politics to achieve equity and improve the general quality of life for the community. Through engagement in politics, women can raise better families, contribute to democratic processes, and result in better standards of living.
The ongoing research reveals that although scholars appreciate the existence of implicit bias against women, they have not taken severe studies about how it hinders their participation in politics. Files et al., 2017, for instance, observes that women do not enjoy the privilege of official titles when introduced as speakers at events and fails to address the root causes of these behaviors. Derks, Van Laar & Ellemers (2016), on the other hand, place the responsibility on women leaders and avers that they propagate implicit bias through their alienation tendencies against upcoming women leaders. In their assertion, they fail to recognize the strong odds that these few women leaders face in a bid to make an impact on society. The literature reviewed, therefore, fails to specifically address the root causes of implicit bias and its effect on the participation of women in politics. This study seeks to fill the gap to ensure that society confronts the causes of implicit bias for the achievement of equity in public participation.
Research methodology
The research design of choice for this study is case study design. Case studies are ideal for examining a small population in detail. According to Ridder (2017), case studies offer insight into the phenomenon of interest. Besides, case studies enable replication of findings from other studies and eliminate alternative explanations. The researcher will, therefore, carry out a survey on the participation of women in the political office for a period of ten years from 2010 to 2019. The researcher will use a variety of primary and secondary data collection methods. Secondary data will be obtained from official government documents that outline the number and impact of women in politics. The researcher will interview respondents chosen through a stratified simple sampling technique to capture responses from different segments of society.
Ethical Consideration
The researcher considers the requirement for confidentiality and voluntary consent in building the credibility of the research. In this regard, the researcher will use synonyms to protect the identity of the respondents for both interviews and questionnaires. The researcher will include a note about the purpose of the research to enable respondents to participate willingly. Towards this ideal, the researcher will avoid vulnerable populations like the sick, elderly, and children below the age of consent.