Culture Watch Reviews: Teaching Girls About Women’s Political Gains Crucial For Progress

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Preserving women's history and reminding our younger generations, especially girls and young women about it, is crucial for continued progress. The sad truth is women who have run for the United States presidency are frequently left off the history pages.

Shortly after Hillary Clinton's near Democratic nomination for the US presidency in 2008, I conducted a focus group to discuss the subject of a woman president with ten girls, age 11 to 14. With the example of Clinton's bid fresh in their minds, these girls believed that "the only reason there hasn’t been a woman president yet is because not enough women have tried to be president." Several participants said, "only Hillary Clinton has run." When they were shown examples of others such as Shirley Chisholm and Elizabeth Dole, none of the girls had heard of those women or had read about them in newspapers or history books. Asked if they thought that they could be president, the girls qualified their "yes" with, "if I got better grades" and tried really hard.

Grade school teachers I've interviewed about empowerment literature for children suggest that offering students more examples of women's achievements would better equip them to interpret accomplishment. Students are quick to mention sports and movie stars when asked about extraordinary achievers. If they heard more about women and men successful in medicine or business or politics, one teacher commented: "we would change how the children think of greatness."

In the year prior to Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's bids to become the Democratic nominee, authors Rebecca S. Bigler, Andrea E. Arthur, Julie Milligan Hughes and Meagan M. Patterson found that one in four children believed it is illegal for women and minorities to hold the office of president. "[Children] have seen [the presidents] all over the media, on posters, in classroom history books," said Rebecca Bigler, "yet no one ever explains to them why they have all been white men. There is never a conversation about that so children start to come up with their own explanations."

The same study found that girls who attributed the lack of female presidents to discrimination were more likely to report that they could not really become president, even if they were interested in doing so. (The study appeared in the December 2008 issue of Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy.)

Children's perceptions are likely expanded now that they see Barack Obama pictured on classroom posters and in history books, however, it is crucial to remind them of Hillary Clinton's close race for the Democratic nomination for president, and the presidential bids of other women. These important historical facts need to be recorded in school materials so that girls can perceive themselves as potential leaders. We simply cannot take for granted that girls know they can grow up to be whatever they want.

This research is behind the publication of a new children’s book, Madam President: Five Women Who Paved the Way, (Eifrig Publishing, 2015) which traces the young lives and historic bids of five women who have run for the United States presidency, including Margaret Chase Smith, Shirley Chisholm, Patricia Schroeder, Elizabeth Dole and Hillary Clinton. The book, based on years of extensive research on women and the United States presidency, encourages young readers to expand their thinking of themselves and to try things that have never been done before. The book is fully illustrated by Bucks County, Pennsylvania artist Jane Ramsey who has vividly brought to life the images of the women trailblazers.

By putting this book in the hands of girls we can improve the chance that history will not forget that women have run for president and someday, maybe soon, a woman will become President of the United States.

Editor's Note:

CultureWatch Reviews: Gillibrand's Off the Sidelines and Warren's A Fighting Change Merge Into One Compelling Narrative

Jill Norgren writes: One pleasure of A Fighting Chance and Off the Sidelines lies in the telling of each woman's path to the United States Senate. Warren announced her plan to apply to law school only to be met with the critical response of her mother: "Stay at home, have more children, and do not become one of those crazy women libbers." Gillibrand relates how a male senator walked up to her after she had succeeded in losing weight gained in pregnancy and said "Don't lose too much weight now. I like my girls chubby."

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