Shattering the glass ceiling for women in politics

The outcome of last week’s US Presidential Election yet again brought to the forefront the question whether the American voters are willing to see a woman becoming commander-in-chief of the world’s richest democracy. The defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris to Donald Trump came despite women representing around 52% of the US voters. Even in 2016, Trump defeated former US First Lady Hillary Clinton and ensured the biggest glass ceiling in global politics was not shattered.

Nevertheless, there is a difference between Trump’s triumph last week and his shock victory eight years ago. Although the former Reality TV star was able to defeat Clinton during his first presidential bid, he lost the popular vote to his rival by about three million votes. The peculiar and controversial Electoral College system stood in the way of a woman becoming US President for the first time in history at the 2016 election. Many American political commentators have pointed out that the Electoral College system is outdated and the winner of the popular vote needs to be recognised as the winner. Thus, the recent assertions made by ill-informed, local social media participants that American voters do not want to be led by a lady are not accurate.

Renowned Western democracies such as Britain, Germany, and Australia had been led by female leaders at various times in their histories but the US is yet to join that list, which might be a cause of great frustration for advocates of women empowerment around the world. However, it is often said better late than never. There were few who believed an African-American could become US President prior to Barack Obama capturing the White House in 2008. Barriers are meant to be broken and surely one day the US will definitely have a Madam President.

Meanwhile, in the local context, the representation of women at the next Parliament following the verdict of tomorrow would be watched with keen interest. The low level of representation of women in every layer of political decision-making in Sri Lanka has been recognised as a longstanding shortcoming by social analysts. The appointment of a woman to the premiership last September was hailed as a decision to promote greater participation of women in politics. A few even compared Harini Amarasuriya to Kamala Harris. Yet, such interpretations were quite misleading and inaccurate. The premier’s recent conduct and utterances clearly demonstrate how out of depth she is with the realities of the country’s socio-economic framework. The outgoing US Vice President was an elected Senator from California prior to becoming Joe Biden’s deputy in 2021. She also served as Attorney General of California for seven years before getting elected to the US Senate. During her legal career, she was known as a highly tough criminal prosecutor. 

On the other hand, the Sri Lankan is more or less a novice to politics. Quite prematurely, she had asked her security officials to reduce the protection provided to her, only to be told by them the island is neither Switzerland nor Sweden. The incumbent premier comes mainly from an academic background and critics have questioned her awareness of the intricacies of the socio, political, and economic apparatus prevalent in the State. Even during the Presidential election campaign, whilst giving an interview to a popular YouTube channel, she exhibited her complete lack of understanding about the fundamental workings of the country’s economic system when she vowed to exempt VAT on food, education, and health although they had already been VAT-exempted. 

The share of women legislators needs to improve. But in terms of selecting a candidate to vote, the decision should not be influenced by the gender of the candidate. It is critical for the public to ensure the next Parliament is represented by individuals who have the capacity to make a meaningful contribution towards the progress of the nation irrespective of whether they are men or women.