Why now is the time for a woman president
With March 8th marking International Women's Day, two executives whose organizations help empower women in the workforce say it's time for a woman to be in the White House.
Seema Hingorani, founder and chair of Girls Who Invest, tells “WSJ at Large” host Gerry Baker it's about time for a “Madame President.”
“Why not?” she asks. “All over the world there are women in leadership positions-- in the UK, in India there have been female prime ministers. And in our country we still have not had a female president.”
Allison Esposito Media, founder and CEO of Tech Ladies, agrees and thinks she knows why that is:
“It's just people are used to seeing the same type of person in the same type of role,” she notes. “We need to break out of what we think leadership looks like and what we think a president looks like.”
And it's not just in politics, according to Hingorani, whose non-profit works to get more women in the financial industry. She says the perception of what leaders in the financial world is like was a key factor in causing the Great Recession.
“The 2008 financial crisis wasn't just a lack of regulation,” she argues. “It was a lot of group think. And that's something we need to fight desperately.”
Esposito's organization assists women in the tech world, and like in that industry, she thinks members of the so-called "fairer sex" bring different skills to the table that would benefit the country.
“Women are very action-oriented,” she believes. “And women in politics can get a lot done.”
Hingorani says that's especially true in several specific areas where she feels women have an advantage.
“I think that's just being sensitive and sympathetic,” she argues. “When you're dealing with issues like family paid leave or issues related to the gender pay gap, there's just more focus on that when you're a woman.”
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Esposito believes having a woman run the country is simple fairness.
“We're 51% of the population,” she points out. ”So we should have that representation.”