Possible female running mates not proof of gender equality

In the three weeks since Super Tuesday shrunk the 2000 presidential campaign to a two-man race, political pundits have refocused their attention from the question of "Who will make the best president?" to that of "Who will make the best running mate?" Among those publishing speculations, the March 20 Newsweek listed seven possible choices for Al Gore and nine for George W. Bush.

Progressively enough, 25 percent of Newsweek's suggestions were women, a move that appears encouraging to those feminists that see an increase in female candidates as the most expedient route to greater female political representation.

However, appearances can be deceiving. According to Newsweek, two of the three Republican female choices — two-time cabinet member Elizabeth Dole and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) — are options only "if Dubya faces a gender gap." Where's the progress there? The assumption that any woman on the ballot automatically pulls in a significant number of female voters is seriously flawed.

This hypothesis presupposes the existence of a female voting bloc, but this supposition was disproved in the election immediately following the 1920 ratification of the women's suffrage amendment. Surely, in the last 20 years, strategists have noticed that more women tend to lean toward Democrats, while more men vote Republican. But this pattern does not correlate with an assumption that women voters always lean toward female candidates.

Newsweek's seemingly progressive assertion undercuts the battle for gender equality. I would love to see a woman in the Oval Office as much as the next feminist, but that doesn't mean I would vote for any candidate with two X-chromosomes. Is there a difference between electing a candidate because she is a woman and not electing a candidate for the same reason? The two outcomes are fundamentally the same: Both judge individuals based on gender, not qualifications.

Contemporary feminists can be divided into two groups: those who believe women's abilities are no different from men's and those who believe women's abilities are different from, but just as important as, men's. Though this division oversimplifies the debate, it serves a purpose here. Newsweek's advice to Bush assumes that all women fall into the second category; otherwise, a candidate's gender would have no bearing on her appeal. That this assumption is so common illustrates a larger issue in American politics: In general, candidates are not considered for their qualifications, but rather for superficial characteristics.

America claims to be "The Land of Equality and Opportunity." Why, then, did India — where controversy rages over the phenomena of "bride-burning" and "dowry deaths" — elect its first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi, in 1966? And why did Israel — where women cannot initiate divorce without the husband's consent — elect its first female prime minister, Golda Meir, in 1969? If America exhibits greater gender equality in everyday life, why haven't we had more female political leaders as in India and Israel?

The limited nature of gender equality is quite apparent here at Princeton. The University welcomed women undergraduates in 1969. That same year, many of the eating clubs followed suit. But in the 30th year of coeducation, a trend of male dominance still endures on Prospect Avenue, and it is not restricted to instances of sexual harassment or assault. Club officer positions remain a predominantly male enterprise. This year, officer elections at several eating clubs broke down along gender lines. In some cases, female club members became enraged at the gender makeup of election winners.

If a woman cannot become president of an eating club without meeting hostility, how can she become president of the United States? If the latter is a goal our society deems worthwhile, we must begin by overcoming smaller problems of gender inequality, such as those at Princeton. We must stop evaluating our peers based on their gender and start evaluating them based on the qualifications, experience and vision they bring to a position. Julie Straus is from Potomac, Md. She can be reached at straus@princeton.edu.