The divide between males and females in politics is quite evident. With the recent events leading to the upcoming election, how a woman looks seems to matter more than what she says.

Today, women only account for 20% of U.S. government-leadership positions. Society’s preconceived gender roles make it tough. Female candidates have to deal with a lot of unnecessary comments, usually pertaining to their physical appearance. Take Donald Trump, who in a Rolling Stone article commented on presidential candidate Carly Fiorina saying,”Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not s’posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”  Are you serious? The fact that a potential president can make a comment like this and still be socially acceptable is ridiculous. It’s issues like this that show us American politics don’t offer equality for both sexes. “You would think a country who boasts equal opportunity would at least expect a potential president to exhibit gender equality morals,” says sophomore Emma Stack.

With male candidates we stick to the traditional vote-who-you-agree-with principle. But when you add a female to the mix it turns into a pageant. “Although we are this ‘developed’ nation we still do not have the gender equality we claim to have,” says sophomore Marisa Searle. It’s 2015, and it’s still more important to validate a female by her appearance than her values. This gender gap deters females from wanting to participate in politics, therefore encouraging gender inequality. It’s important that a female voice be heard on issues such as family planning, but how can you have that when there’s no females to speak up? This lack of representation leaves females with the short end of the stick on most issues. Just think ladies: men are making your decisions.

Instead of looking at politicians as male and female we need to focus on their values. We have to stop critiquing women strictly on appearances and start looking at men and women as equals. To be a country who can brag about our equal-opportunity-for-all we have to annihilate gender inequalities. Sexism isn’t dead, and politics reassure that.