Why Has the U.S. never elected a female president? By Maria Grant

Since 1789, America has had 46 presidents. All of them have been men. And all but one of them have been white. 

In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman to be named a vice-presidential candidate for a major party. She came under severe attack because she and her husband filed their taxes separately, and her husband refused to make his tax returns public. Since then, Republican Sarah Palin ran for vice president in 2008, and Kamala Harris was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2020.

In 1964, Margaret Chase Smith ran for the Republican nomination for president. She was the first woman whose name was placed in nomination for president at a major political party convention. In 1972, Shirley Chisholm was the first Black candidate to run for the Democratic presidential nomination and the first woman to run for her major party’s nomination. Hillary Clinton became the first woman to receive the Democratic nomination for President in 2016. And Kamala Harris was the first woman of color to receive the Democratic nomination in 2024. 

Nancy Pelosi was the first woman elected as U.S. Speaker of the House and led the House from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023.

Of the 115 Justices who have served on the Supreme Court, six have been women. Four of these women are currently serving. 

Among the 193 United Nations member states, at least 80 countries have had a female head of state or government. Currently, only 13 of the body’s 193 members are led by women. The Council on Foreign Relations ranked the U.S. Number 69 in its rankings of which countries have “progressed toward gender parity in political participation.” 

Researchers claim that when polled, Americans say they would vote for a woman, “just not that woman.” Currently women make up about a third of Congress and there are 12 women governors.

According to the most recent World Values Survey, 15 percent of American respondents agreed that “men make better political leaders than women do.” Political scientists claim that women candidates often have to be more qualified than men to win elections. 

Americans don’t seem to have significant problems with voting for women in lower-level positions than president—congresswoman, governors, etc. But the leadership traits Americans see as most important in a President are decisiveness and toughness—traits more difficult for women to demonstrate. On the other hand, voters tend to rank women as more trustworthy, less corrupt, more compassionate, and better on issues such as healthcare, education, and childcare.

Women who have led other countries have been judged more harshly than their male counterparts. They tend to face higher standards and enjoy shorter honeymoon periods.

Surveys have also shown that the public is not ready for an all-female ticket but obviously has no problem with an all-male ticket. 

J.D. Vance authored a book, was a lackluster hedge fund manager, and had served only two years in the Senate when Trump tapped him as his Vice President (making Bush’s VP pick Dan Quayle look like an elder statesman). 

Now let’s take a quick look at how Trump and the men he will surround himself in his next administration feel about women. 

We have heard ad nauseum the rude, crude comments Trump has made about countless women. Since the 1970’s, at least 26 women have accused Trump of sexual assault or sexual harassment. In 2023, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation against E. Jean Carroll. 

Trump’s VP-Elect J. D. Vance talks about “childless cat ladies and claims the sole purpose of post-menopausal woman is to help care for youngsters.”

Matt Gaetz, Trump’s nomination for Attorney General, has been accused of sex trafficking, using illegal drugs, and showing lewd photos of women on the House Floor. It is yet to be determined whether the findings of the House Ethics Committee’s report on Gaetz, that had been scheduled to be released last Friday, will be released.

Efficiency expert Elon Musk, the father of 12 offspring, freely offers his sperm to women in his employ. He apparently also suggested to Nicole Shanahan, RFK’s Jr. ‘s former running mate, that she could have access to his valuable sperm. 

RFK Jr., an anti-vax conspiracy theorist and heroin addict for 14 years who has claimed that a worm ate part of his brain, once was alleged to have a list on his cellphone of 43 mistresses. His promiscuity was frequently linked, in part, to his former wife’s suicide. Mary Kennedy also suffered from drug and alcohol addictions.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nomination for Defense Secretary, said that women should not be in combat roles because men are more capable. (Currently about 220,000 combat roles are open to women in the military. Women who obtain those roles are subject to the same grueling training that men are. Reports state that these women are competent and should they no longer be eligible for combat roles, the U.S. may be forced to reinstate the draft. The Department of Defense is the largest employer in the U.S. It has more than 1.3 million active-duty employees and more than 800,000 in reserves. Its budget is almost $900 billion. Hegseth has never had a management position of any size.) Hegseth also has been accused of sexual assault. 

Boatloads of serious competent women with deep technical expertise reside in the U.S. It is distressful that the U.S. continues to pass over them for the top job. It’s also distressful that, with few exceptions, the women who Trump has tapped to work in his next administration have one quality in common—blind loyalty to Trump. Deep relevant expertise does not appear to be on the radar screen.

So, fasten your seatbelts competent women. We’re in for a bumpy ride.

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.