The Gender Politics In The American Presidential Election

Presidential election in America is the most important form of political participation. After over one century of feminist movement, American women have got equal social, economic, and political rights in law, and women have shown up in every corner of the "public sphere" Although female voters are more than male voters nowadays, and female candidates with considerable qualities have began to enter into presidential races, so far no woman has ever won as the president or even vice-president. White House, as the America’s political summit, is merely in women’s dreams.There are many kinds of reasons that female candidates get failure result in the presidential election. However, one common cause blocking all female candidates is the gender politics in American presidential election. As well, gender politics is the crux why the whole female sex group could not finally break the "glass ceiling"Through the perspective of gender, this thesis exposes the gender politics in American presidential election, and analyzes the negative effect from gender politics on women candidates, which ultimately led to the failure of women. The thesis contains five parts:the first part starts from criticism of the male chauvinism in "political participation", and displays core concepts, including "Gender","Gender Politics","Gender Stereotype Effect", followed by "President’s Macho" which keeps female outside the White House; the second part shows five subjects (candidates, voters, political parties, political organizations, and media) in the presidential election as the elements of gender politics, and indicates that sponsors from female organizations and increasing female candidates are positive, while gender utilization of political parties and gender discrimination of media are negative, and voters’ gender tend mixes both; The third part mainly analyzes how women are at a disadvantage due to negative effects from political parties, media and voters; the fourth part does a case study of Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin in2008president election to prove the existence of gender discrimination in political parties, media and voters; the last part summaries the gender reasons for female candidates’ failures, and reveals that gender politics is consolidated from up to bottom by political parties, media and voters, thus female candidates swinging between "female trait" and "male trait" could not build suitable political images.