The Glass Ceiling May Have Turned to Stone
By Nina Rodriguez
*this article was written on November 8, 2024
Source: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/08/kamala-harris-immigrants-gopalan-jamaica-india.html
The results of the recent 2024 United States Presidential election reflect the surprising prevalence of gender bias throughout the country and has led to a new sense of sexist discouragement on women of various career paths.
Vice President Kamala Harris is undoubtedly qualified to serve as president of the country. However, her skill set backed by a political science and economics degree from Howard University, a law degree from the Hastings College of the Law, work as District Attorney of San Francisco, California attorney general, senator of California, and current position as the Vice President, served no match for a felon on 34 counts. Three undergraduate female students in Boston, Tampa, and Washington D.C. feel the gravity of what this means for their future career success as a woman in America.
“I feel like the simple fact that she lost was because she was a woman and on top of that, a woman of color. It wasn’t another thing, it was a gender bias thing,” said Dominique Pantoja, a sophomore at the George Washington University.
Throughout her campaign, Vice President Harris served as a beacon of hope for women across America, particularly women who strive to work in politics. She paved a path destined for presidency and brought back the hope of America having its first female president. She was a gate to the nation’s future. This is who Kamala Harris is to Pantoja.
As an international affairs major in Washington D.C., living in the center of government, attending advanced classes in politics, and personal connections to controversial issues have shaped the way Pantoja viewed the 2024 election. “I voted for Kamala Harris,” said Pantoja, proudly. “I agree with her policies in general… Even though I don’t agree with all of it, it aligns more with my personal beliefs. Also, I feel like the simple fact that the other option was a felon, a rapist, and someone with 34 felony counts,” said Pantoja.
In the red state of Florida, sophomore at the University of Tampa Ashley Fitzsimmons lives in a politically-uneducated bubble. “I’ll see things on social media, and then I look it up,” said Ashley Fitzsimmons. Despite her slightly concerning political environment, both fueled subconsciously and consciously, she excitedly cast her vote for Kamala Harris. “She’s not Donald Trump,” said Fitzsimmons.
As a marketing major at the Sykes College of Business and current resident of Florida, Fitzsimmons engages with the typical Trump supporter frequently. “They just haven’t done their research. They think that things are going to immediately get cheaper when they’re not. I just don’t understand how you can vote on that false narrative when rights are on the line,” said Fitzsimmons.
Mackenzie Firth, a sophomore studying Public Relations at Boston University, was also a proud voter of the Harris-Walz campaign. “I just believe that her policies strongly align with my beliefs much more than Trump’s. And I could never vote for Trump for a million reasons. But I must say that the thought of having a woman president for the first time was exciting,” said Mackenzie Firth. Being in a left-leaning state and having a slightly above average consumption of political information, her voting choices were a combination of policy understanding and connection to Harris’ identity.
When recounting the moment she discovered that Donald Trump was to be the 47th President of the United States, “I felt numb,” said Pantoja. As she watched every swing state turn red and Trump’s electoral vote count inch closer to 270, she understood the reality of being a woman in American politics. “It’s very sad for girls who are studying this, including me. You see this and you’re like she did everything. Look at her academic accomplishments, look at her resume, look at her character. She did everything you’re supposed to do to become president and it still wasn’t enough,” said Pantoja.
On November 6, 2024, Fitzsimmons woke up, checked her phone, and immediately began to sob. She was met with an equally disheartened roommate and texts from her mom wishing for a better future for her daughter. Experiencing this loss in a Trump-dominated state only contributed to her heartbreak. “I walked outside and my classmates, mostly male, were wearing Trump shirts. They weren’t even celebrating positively, it was pure hatred. They were like screw the liberals, screw the immigrants…,” said Fitzsimmons.
In Boston, Firth learned that Donald Trump won the election and was incredibly disheartened. “I cried on my way to work that morning. It was disgusting to see how many people would support such a horrible man with policies that set our country back in time 10 years. Everyone around me was visibly upset. It just makes me less hopeful for the future of the morals of our country,” said Firth.
Across three different women, three different parts of the country, three different career goals, and three different levels of political knowledge, Kamala Harris’ loss has the same impact. The feeling that a woman’s resume could be perfected but would stand no chance against a man’s.. The fear that men will think it’s justified to commit crimes against women and continue building their career. The fear of being a woman in America.
“I am intending to enter a female dominated field. But there’s still a double standard. It is a national sentiment that men can do anything, get away with it, and be defended for it. If a woman does anything wrong, it will be pointed out. And that’s something I must be aware of,” said Firth, an aspiring communications officer for a public relations firm.
“I have the same major as my boyfriend. Now especially, I know that I could study ten times harder than him. We could enter the same industry. But there is a chance he will always get a better position and salary than me. And this election solidified my prediction of that,” said Fitzsimmons, an aspiring marketing analyst.
“I feel the same way I did in 2016, except worse. My hope for Hilary Clinton is gone. My hope for Kamala Harris is gone. My hope for a female president is gone. I know the chances of a female candidate being on the ballot are significantly lessened. I could do everything right, get every degree, work every internship, rise the ranks in government, but it may never be enough. What else is there to do?,” said Pantoja, an aspiring politician.
References
Bustillo, X., & Fung, H. (2024, May 30). Trump is found guilty on 34 felony counts. read the counts here. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/g-s1-1848/trump-hush-money-trial-34-counts
Rogers, K.,.(2020, November 7). A timeline of Kamala Harris’ career. IGNITE. https://ignitenational.org/blog/a-timeline-of-kamala-harris-career
People that I interviewed:
- Dominique Pantoja
- I chose to interview Dominique because she studies politics, lives in Washington D.C., and aims to work in politics in the future. Her analyses of the presidential race and the candidates were very well-informed due to her physical location, education focus, and future career goals. I wanted to show how Harris as a female politician had a more personal connection with other aspiring female politicians. Throughout the interview, it was clear that Dominique’s support for Harris was also due to her own ambitions and hope that Harris would open up opportunities for herself and other young women. Her insight provided a parallel between a female political student and a female politician.
- Ashley Fitzsimmons
- I chose to interview Ashley because she has a very low level of political knowledge, like the average young American, and also lives in a very red state. She provided insight on her thought process behind voting for Harris, which was less policy informed and more based in identity as a woman. Additionally, I wanted to see a contrast with her environment being a red state compared to the other two subjects who live in blue states. Her interview also showed that Harris’ loss reinforced the ideas of gender bias in a business setting which encapsulates Ashley’s career aspirations.
- Mackenzie Firth
- I chose to interview Mackenzie because her level of political education is in the middle of Dominique’s and Ashley’s. Additionally, Mackenzie lives in one of the most blue regions of the country and I wanted to highlight environmental differences throughout the story. She also has aspirations of entering a female-dominated career field and I was intrigued to hear that the election increased the threat of facing sexism in the workplace.
Editing Process (Extra Credit)
Pratham and I edited each other’s stories for the extra credit portion of this assignment. When editing my story, Pratham provided commentary that helped me condense my story to necessary information and create a better flow between graphs. Kristina and I also edited each other’s stories. She was able to provide a new perspective to the story and she brought my attention to some grammatical errors that I overlooked.