This January I did a lot of work studying the roles women have played in our government. What I found was that women, although making tremendous strides, are still extremely underrepresented and commonly struggle to advance their careers beyond the House of Representatives. Furthermore, it became quite clear the women still struggle to be viewed as equal to their male counterparts when it comes to the arena of politics.

Take, for example, the 2008 vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. As I watched news coverage of the run-up to the debate, the analysis was filled with comments that Joe Biden can’t be tough on Sarah Plain because he would look like he was beating her up. In short, Joe Biden couldn’t be tough on a woman because it would make him look mean and aggressive. Another great example from the 2008 campaign was when Hillary Clinton began crying in Portsmouth, NH at a campaign event as she talked about the difficulty of the campaign. Political pundits on the left and the right argued over whether the moment would soften her image or make her look weak. Not to mention how much attention John Boehner has gotten for his crying and the effects it will have on his tenure as Speaker of the House; honestly, what does crying have to do with his ability to do his job?

My point in bringing this up is that I wonder why American society struggles to treat women equally to men when it comes to politics? Some of the most incredible members of our government are women and dozens of the women in American politics are capable of serving in a higher office than the one they currently fill. However, the media of this country perpetuates long held notions of gender roles in politics, and undercuts the ability of female politicians. This country has come to a point where it is time to refocus our understanding of gender roles and to come to a place where women who serve in our government aren’t viewed as less competent or less worthy of advancement than the males they serve with.

So, how does this pertain to Colby College? My argument here is that the media consistently underestimates women when it comes to their coverage of politics. It’s both unfair and frustrating to see that America, in general, is in need of a culture shift, but cannot seem to get the ball rolling on the path to doing so. At Colby, however, there have been incredible efforts to start this culture shift right here on this campus. Clubs like the Feminist Alliance, the Bridge and PCB have all worked to raise awareness of gender and sexuality issues so that these topics are now discussed openly around campus. The new Male Athletes Against Violence group that is currently being organized by Cody McKinney, Matt Carey and Eric Barthold is going to be a great effort to continue the fight on this campus against sexual and other types of violence in all forms. Not to mention that Leslie Hutchings, Nicole Sintetos, Nicole Jacobson and so many others have shown how great female leadership is on the Hill and the incredible effects it has on our campus.

Colby is sending a message: gender stereotypes don’t need to exist and that it is okay, in this century, to live in a world where males and females are viewed as equals in any field of work – especially politics. Government perpetuates this inequality of expectation consistently and it is in this arena that I have observed some of the most stereotypical comments about both women and men. We live in a much more open world and that means that we shouldn’t accept this as status quo. Hopefully, the changes that are occurring right here at Colby will be a part of a culture shift that so many of us will be able to enjoy in our lifetimes.

Well, that’s my stream of consciousness for the week.