Former President Barack Obama offered a suggestion that would help combat the overwhelming number of sexual misconduct cases that have recently been brought to light. During an event in Paris, France earlier this month, he stated that more women should be elevated to positions of power “because men seem to be having some problems these days.”
“Not to generalize but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialization,” Obama added, in response to a question regarding leadership qualities for the future. The event he was attending had been organized by a network of communications professionals known as Les Napoleons.
Obama chose not to disclose any specific names, but he would have had an abundance of accused male predators to speak of had he chosen to do so. House representatives John Conyers and Ruben Kihuen, along with senator Al Franken, are a few examples of members of the Democratic Party who have recently been accused of sexual misconduct. Representatives of the Republican Party have had their fair share of allegations as well, namely, Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, House Representative Blake Farenthold, and even President Donald Trump.These are just a few examples taken solely from the political field.
Obama’s call to promote women is imperative at this point in time. Despite the fact that more than half of the United States population is made up of women, the female population only occupies 19.6 percent of Congress, 23.7 percent of statewide executive offices, and 24.9 percent of all state legislatures. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research reports that, at the current rate, a gender parity in politics will not occur until the year 2117.
Multiple studies have proven that there are benefits to having female leaders in the workforce. CNBC mentioned that a recent study, made up of 51,418 leaders, found that women are considered more effective leaders. Research supports that electing more women to high positions in public office would elicit positive results. Studies have also shown that women are more likely to collaborate across party lines and are more willing to fight for issues that may not directly pertain to their personal lives.
His presidency may have ended, but that hasn’t stopped Obama from using his platform to raise awareness of the changes that need to take place to accommodate our rapidly changing society. “If we can adapt to change we can make extraordinary progress. Hope is not being blind to problems,” Obama said. “Hope is facing problems and then still believing that we can work them out.”
Featured Image by dcblog on Flickr
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