When the count was finally tallied on Nov. 8, millions of Americans celebrated while millions more lamented the fate of the country. Others still saw Trump’s victory as a loss for women everywhere.
Hillary Clinton’s push into America’s political world began long before she first campaigned for president in 2008. The efforts she has made to empower young girls and women across this country began long before she became one of the leading figures in U.S. politics. Her loss will not change her revolutionary place in history.
Clinton was not the first woman to run for president, and she will not be the last. However, she did get further than any woman has thus far, only emphasizing that it is and will be possible for the United States to elect a female president. She has raised the bar.
Although Clinton’s loss this election means she is highly unlikely to run for president again, it does not mean she will not continue to be active. This may instead give her the opportunity to return to focusing her efforts on the Clinton Foundation and other non political activities. Regardless, she will still remain influential in the Democrat Party and to the public due to her former positions.
In the past four years, the nation has already made leaps toward equality for all different types of people. As president Obama said, “The federal government and democracy is not a speedboat. It’s an ocean liner.” The same goes for people. Our nation cannot be changed in a year, or even four, but there is still hope.
This election may not have resulted in a female president but women throughout our nation are taking a look around them and realizing that they have the power to create change. There have been female leaders in India, England, France, Canada and even Pakistan.
The first female leader was Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, closely followed by Indira Ghandi, the first in India. Even now, the UK is under Prime Minister Theresa May. Female leaders are becoming increasingly commonplace, in government and in the workplace. Mary Barra is CEO of General Motors and Meg Whitman is CEO of Hewlett-Packard, both high on the Fortune 500. These women have been paving the way for a more equal society and the U.S. should be able to mimic this process as well. A U.S. female president is long overdue but not impossible.
