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Is Kamala Harris about to become the first US female president 14 Aug 2024

The United States Vice President Kamala Harris has established herself in the pantheon of Democratic Party flag-bearers in presidential elections. With a series of endorsements from President Joe Biden, who relinquished the ticket in July, and other party leaders, her nomination was officially confirmed earlier this month, making her the second woman to ever run for president as a major party candidate, following Hillary Clinton's bid in 2016.

Harris' ascent to the top Democratic ticket has generated tremendous enthusiasm, especially among many Americans from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, women, and young people. But she and her supporters recognise the systemic barriers, including racism, sexism, and bigotry, she is up against. The U.S. has never elected a woman to the office of the president since it was established 235 years ago. Of the 46 individuals who have been president and commander-in-chief, only one, Barack Obama, is black or from a different race other than white.

The U.S. has certainly made some progress in diversity. A 2023 report from McKinsey & Company on women in corporate America and Canada shows the number of women in the C-suite has increased from 17% in 2015 to 28%. A Pew Research Center’s (PRC) report indicates an increase in the percentage of blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in the U.S. workforce.

Harris herself embodies this progress. A former district attorney, attorney general, senator, and now vice president, she represents not only a life devoted to public service but also a significant advancement in the pursuit of equality and representation. Becoming the Democratic nominee just two election cycles after Hillary Clinton's campaign marks a pivotal moment in the nation's ongoing struggle to fulfil its founding ideals of equality and justice for all. Harris’ candidacy is also a testament to the hard-fought progress made in the civil rights movement and women's suffrage.

Nevertheless, there are pervasive power asymmetries in the U.S., indicating how far the country is from achieving inclusion and providing equal opportunities for minority groups. A 2023 Gallup poll found persisting racial prejudice among a significant portion of the U.S. population. The Racial Equity Index, developed by various civil rights organisations, shows significant racial disparities in income, education, and healthcare access.

Harris has acknowledged the existence of systemic racism in the American society and emphasised the importance of economic empowerment as a means of combating racial inequality. She has advocated initiatives for addressing inequities in the criminal justice system and fostering social progress. But as this daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants dares to bid for the U.S. presidency, she would have to muster considerable resilience and great tact to navigate the treacherous political terrain in which she has already become a target of prejudice and intolerance, notably from the far right.

Her male Republican Party rival, former president Donald Trump, has called her a “radical, left lunatic”. He has criticised the way she laughs. “Have you ever watched her laugh? She is crazy," Trump said during a rally last month. According to Sophie Gilbert, an award-wining staff writer at The Atlantic, "criticism of emotional expression has long been a weapon of choice for those wanting to cut down women in political power."

Trump's classic racist trope against Obama and Harris has involved promoting the false narrative that they were not born in the U.S. His running mate and an Ohio senator, J.D. Vance, displayed his own social prejudice when he ridiculed Harris in 2021 for being childless, referring to her as one of the "childless cat ladies," the idea being that not having children of her own makes her miserable, deprives her of the ability to be family-oriented, and, hence, unfit for office. Harris has two stepchildren from her marriage with her husband, Douglas Emhoff.

A barrage of online insults and conspiracy theories have emerged since Harris' became the presumptive Democratic nominee. Some have questioned her competency as well as moral and family values. While many will not publicly express their vitriol and prejudice against Harris, a lot of people, men and women alike, hold women to higher, if not impossible, standards than men. For instance, the misogynistic stereotype of "childless cat ladies" has no equivalent or comparable term for men, such as "childless dog gentlemen." This is because of the structural barriers society has stacked against women.

Globally, discriminatory laws, practices, attitudes, and stereotypes continue to limit women's access to education and resources they need for their empowerment. Indeed, these are also responsible for the slow progress in the ability of women to rise to top political leadership positions. According to data from UN Women, 27 countries have 28 women serving as heads of state and/or government as of 1 June 2024. This means less than one-fifth of the 193 UN member states currently have a woman leader. At the current pace of progress, the UN agency says it will take approximately 130 years to achieve gender equality in the top political leadership positions.

The agency also says women make up 23.3% of cabinet positions globally, with only 15 countries having 50% of the cabinet members as women. Women constitute only 15% of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, far less than the global average and below the 35% women representation the Nigerian president proposed in his campaign manifesto.

Historically, women have been elected to the highest offices many times in several countries in South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico – the US' southern neighbour, which elected its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, in June 2024, shattering a 200-year-old glass ceiling. The United Kingdom, which has had a total of 58 prime ministers in 303 years, has elected only three female PMs – Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May, and Elizabeth Truss – with all being members of the Conservative Party. Sri Lanka elected the world's first female head of government when Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the nation's prime minister in 1960. India, Israel, Bangladesh, Germany, Italy, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Liberia and Malawi have also elected women national leaders. Nigeria, the most populous black nation, has never elected a woman to the top office in the 64 years of its independence.

While Kamala Harris and other women around the world face significant obstacles in achieving political representation and reaching the highest levels of decision-making in a male-dominated sphere, there has been a lot of advancements in women's suffrage. Recent data on political participation indicate that women's voter turnout is on the rise, even surpassing that of men in some countries like the U.S. In recent elections, American women have voted at higher rates than men, a development that could enhance Harris' prospects if her campaign effectively engages women on issues that resonate with them.

Women, especially black women, reportedly decided the 2020 electoral victory of Joe Biden. According to exit polls, 57% of the female electorate cast their vote for Biden, compared to 42% who voted for Trump. By gender comparison, fewer men (45%) voted for Biden compared to Trump (53%). The data also shows black voters (92%) overwhelmingly voted for Biden in 2020, more than they did for Clinton (91%) in 2016, indicating both an enthusiasm towards the presence of Harris on the Biden ticket and no discernible appeal for Trump.

Biden and Harris also enjoyed the support of voters under age 30, with 60% voting for the Democratic ticket four years ago, compared to 55% who voted for Clinton in 2016. Only 36% of this electorate cast their vote for Trump in 2016 and 2020. A higher voter turnout in 2024, marked by a rise in women and younger voters, may favour Harris. Biden benefited from the record turnout in 2020, which saw 158 million people casting their votes, an over 6.7 percentage points increase from 2016.  

The ongoing demographic changes in the U.S. may also give an advantage to Harris. The Republican coalition, dominated by whites and the elderly voters, especially those without college degrees, is considered to be declining. For instance, the electorate between the age group of 45-64 years decreased by 2 percentage points between 2016 and 2020, according to exit polls in the two electoral cycles. Meanwhile, latest demographic trend data shows an expansion of the so-called rainbow coalition of the Democrats, comprising blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Indian voters. This coalition also appears to have been energised for Harris following Biden's dignified and commendable exit from the race.  

In the 24-hour period when Biden announced his withdrawal and subsequent endorsement of Harris for the ticket, the vice president's campaign said it raised more than $81 million, the largest haul of cash in a single day in U.S. history. In less than 48 hours, the amount of campaign contributions reached $100 million, with the funding momentum driven by people donating to a campaign for the first time this year.
 
Kamala Harris' political journey underscores the importance of resilience and the need for systemic change in the pursuit of equality. Her commitment to ethical leadership throughout her career and unwavering dedication to fighting for the freedoms and economic empowerment of marginalised communities serves as an inspiration to people in the U.S. and beyond. She has her flaws and will certainly make mistakes. By all means, she should face objective scrutiny of her record in public service and her proposals on domestic and foreign policies. However, the standard of judgment applied to her should not differ from that used in assessing her white male counterparts.

Nigeria can draw valuable lessons from the developments in the U.S. 2024 general election to strengthen its democracy and advance towards a more equitable environment that encourages diversity in leadership. Certainly, the country must work hard towards demolishing gender stereotypes and providing a supportive environment for female leaders to thrive. Biden's decision to step aside and pass the torch to a new generation has earned him various accolades, including "statesman," "true patriot," "selfless" and a man who "puts the country first". These are attributes Nigerian politicians must imbibe.

It is high time Nigeria developed strong community and grassroots networks for mobilising funding and supporting the political campaigns of candidates who advocate for real change as only such individuals, if elected, would demonstrate accountability to the people.

Martins Hile is a sustainability strategist and editorial consultant.