Studies confirm over and over again how men are given jobs over equally competent women. And yet, Donald Trump’s victory speech in New York City last night received much deserved criticism, since he used the opportunity to slam Hillary Clinton by claiming the only reason she’s leading the Democratic race is because she’s a woman.
“Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she’d get five percent of the vote […] The only thing she’s got going is the woman’s card.”
Given the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, as board members, and even making the same salaries as their male counterparts, Trump’s reasoning is peculiar and hard to comprehend.
What woman’s card? And how? She just sits there and gets votes because she’s a woman?
But given the large number of inaccuracies in Trump’s claims throughout his presidential campaign, running the gauntlet from negligence in fact checking to downright lies, we shouldn’t be surprised.
Instead, let’s have a look at 5 studies suggesting we’re not playing our women’s card enough.
1. U.S. Has The Best Opportunities For Women In The World With A Whopping 4.6 Percent Female CEO’s
Dell analyzed 31 countries in 2015, encompassing 71 percent of the world’s female population. Each country was ranked based on the opportunities for women to become leaders.
United States came out as the best country for women leaders despite only having 4.6 percent female CEOs, 21 percent female senior managers, and 19.2 percent female board members.
2. The Tech Industry Went From 100 Percent Female Coders To 18 Percent In Four Decades
Liberal America has previously covered the statistics of the tech industry, showing a correlation between the growth and importance of the industry and a downward trend in the number of women coders.
In the 70’s, the first coders where women, and today that number has shrunk to 18 percent. The major shift happened in the 80’s with the rise of personal computers which were marketed almost entirely to men and boys.
3. Gender Parity In The U.S. Does Not Exist
McKinsey released a new report this month which concluded that gender parity does not exist in one single state in the U.S.
Metrics such as labor-force participation, managerial positions, the percentage of single mothers, the rates of violence against women, and the amount of unpaid work by women were studied in all of the U.S. states.
Not one state reached 1, the measure of full equality. The highest score in any state was 0.74, and the winner as the most equal state in the U.S. is Maine!
4. Recruiters Rate Men As More Competent And Hirable Than Women (INCLUDING Female Recruiters)
There was a 2012 study of academic recruiters, which found that when asked to choose between two identical job candidates, one male and one female, both male and female recruiters consistently rated the men as more competent and hirable. Male candidates were also offered higher starting salaries than their female counterparts.
5. The Value Of The #WomanCard In Politics
In a Pew Research study last year, 69 percent of Democratic women said they would like to have a female president during their lifetimes. In comparison, the percentage of people across the country wanting a female president was just 38 percent.
Interestingly, Millennial women choose Sanders 61 percent to Clinton’s 30 percent. But everything isn’t about gender when it comes to votes, like Trump seem to think. Choosing the next president may have a little to do with the message they convey as well.
However, given the misogyny of the world we are living in, highlighted by these studies, any woman competing with a man should by all means play her women’s card to catch up, for fair play.
If only Trump could help us explain exactly what that woman’s card is, and how to play it.
And judging from first lady of New Jersey Mary Pat Christie’s reaction when listening to Trump explaining the women’s card, I’m not the only one with doubts. Watch her reaction here:
Featured image is a screengrab via YouTube.
