Beginning, not the end

This week, we all witnessed the 2024 US elections and while the exercise covered a lot of ground and issues, there was one topic that stood out. Gender was an inescapable part of the 2024 elections, the topic underlying much of the contest.

During the campaign, gender was persistently in the background when the candidates spoke about polarizing issues like abortion, in vitro fertilization, child care and transgender rights. Now that we already know who will assume office, gender continues to be discussed.

The campaigns carefully and strategically chose where advertisements were placed and where interviews were conducted, both seeking effective ways to reach certain targeted demographic groups.

Black men, among male voters, got special attention in the final days, as polling showed big gender gaps dividing the electorate, like the huge gap between Harris’s margin among young women and the virtual tie among young men in certain polls.

Based on the polls last week, female voters were expected to turn out in bunches for Harris on Election Day. There was a blitz of ads encouraging conservative women to vote for Harris confidentially. Anti-Donald Trump Republicans made a bold claim that women would “save the day” Tuesday.

Indeed, early polling showed Harris held an impressive 20-point lead over Trump on the issue of abortion. Sadly, however, none of it was nearly enough for Harris to clinch the presidency and become the first female president of America.

Trump’s win elicited a range of reactions from female voters. In Wisconsin, a mother said she voted for Trump because she felt he would “show us the right direction” with the economy, her primary concern.

“I’m a full-time single mom with a daughter. Groceries are hard; gas is hard; things are expensive,” and “budgets are really, really stretched thin,” she said.

In Phoenix, the capital of the swing state of Arizona, a small business owner cried Wednesday while describing how disappointed she felt as a woman. “I’m feeling devastated,” said she; “I’m 100-percent positive that within the next four years, there’s going to be a national abortion ban.” She added she had hoped for a different electoral outcome.

Now while these emotions and reactions are only a small sampling size compared to the bigger picture, they are certainly valid. I also believe that they echo the collective sentiment of a majority of women.

As a humble observer of the just concluded fascinating US electoral race, a reaction comes as a question — are Americans ready for a female president? I personally think the answer is yes. While it is a fact that Harris is the second woman Trump has defeated in the race for president, let us not forget that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016.

All these can be discouraging to women, especially those who are striving for an elective post or a higher position in the private sector. But I look at it from a different point of view.

While I offer no excuses for her, Kamala had simply had a lot of things going against her. She faced a huge uphill battle, especially because she had so little time to introduce her agenda on all the issues that faced her, after Biden unexpectedly dropped out of the race. Notably, she failed to tackle the two most important issues of the US economy and immigration policy.

Yet, despite the odds, she showed up. She campaigned. And she fought hard. While her efforts did not result in what she had hoped for, they were bold, courageous and encouraging.

I believe this is not yet the end; not definitely the end. Rather, it is only the beginning. And it is only a matter of time until the glass ceiling is broken.