At a roundtable discussion regarding gender equality and democracy at the UN Headquarters, former Secretary General of the United Nations, Bank Ki-moon, highlighted the importance of the political participation of women in order for the improvement of democracy and human rights. Nevertheless, the discriminatory treatment that female politicians have endured in Western politics has resulted in the absence of equal participation between men and women. Historically, Western countries have faced significantly greater resistance against the acceptance of female politicians compared to other regions of the world; thus, a review of the available literature regarding the perpetuation of gender inequality proves that sexual harassment and female objectification in mass media have strongly undermined gender equality in Western politics.
According to the United Nations, sexual harassment encompasses non-consensual improper verbal, physical, and sexual behaviour. The most common rationale for sexual harassment of female politicians is the male attempt to establish superiority, which may be most desirable in politics as it serves as the “ultimate power profession”. Cheryl Collier, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Windsor, conducted a study on the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in politics in three Western countries: Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. In her examination of the Australian Federal Parliament, Collier identified a consistent pattern in the treatment of female politicians in political settings, with instances of sexual harassment both verbally and physically. She also referred to Jennifer Adamson, former Australian Minister of Health, who had previously exposed multiple male politicians for their inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. Not only had they avoided severe consequences and further investigation, however, but they were also defended by their male peers and resorted to a method of victim blaming instead. This behaviour was evidenced by Jamie Briggs, a former member of the Australian Parliament. After several sexual assault allegations emerged, Briggs had been forced to resign by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Even after his resignation, however, victim-blaming emotions remained potent as several of his male colleagues attempted to “downplay the incident” by referring to his actions as a “social discretion”. Both Adamson’s experience and Briggs’ excused conduct demonstrate that sexual harassment is a consistent issue in Western political environments.
In Collier’s analysis of the House of Commons, she recounts the infelicitous comments that male Members of Parliament would make about the physical appearances of their female counterparts. To add to their inappropriate misconduct, individual male Members of Parliament have also been investigated for creating a “deep-rooted ‘climate of sexual harassment’” as a result of anonymous reports. The environment created in the British parliament reflects a strong power imbalance due to the history of men dominating the field, and are examples of behaviour that is utilized as a method of intimidation, disempowerment, and discouragement towards future female politicians. Sexual harassment, along with its consequences, decreases the possibility of women ever reaching equal representation and opportunities in politics; being in a male-dominated field means that women who actively compete in the political sphere receive a lack of respect and equal treatment. Having unequal representation in the political sphere is particularly dangerous since it serves as an indicator of how women should be treated in fields where they are the gender minority, preventing any possibility of achieving equal participation. An example of this lack of equal participation is reflected in the results of the 2019 United Kingdom general election, a political election that set the record for the highest number of women to ever sit in the House of Commons in history, despite female members only holding 35% of the total seats.
Gender inequality in Western politics has also been perpetuated by female objectification in mass media. According to Heather McIntosh, Associate Director at the Conference Board of Canada, when female politicians appear in media, journalists and reporters take more of an interest in “seemingly irrelevant elements of female politicians”, including their physical appearances, weight, tone of voice, and other characteristics that supposedly define a woman. Claire Gothreau, Research Associate at the Center for American Women and Politics, provides several examples of when the media has inappropriately described women in politics in the media. In January 2019, American Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly condemned right-wing media outlets for their portrayal of female politicians. Specifically, she pointed out how the Daily Caller, a right-wing news outlet, had used objectifying language to “reduce her to her sexuality” and painted female politicians as masculine at “the expense of their feminine graces”. Moreover, when Sarah Palin was running for vice president alongside John McCain in 2008, a large majority of the media had focused on her “perceived attractiveness” rather than qualities that made her a feasible candidate. As a result of calling Palin “sexually desirable”, media outlets expressed that this would make her “unfit for office”, therefore establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables that had no correlation. Ocasio-Cortez and Palin serve as examples that demonstrate how objectification has undermined female politicians for political positions, as it is believed that a woman who shows characteristics that are too feminine is not determined or strong enough to be a candidate. Simultaneously, women who “embrace traditionally masculine goals”, such as seeking power or having strong ambitions, are often met with negative reactions as well. The objectification of women in the news reduces the likelihood of female politicians reaching higher-ranked positions because of unfair judgement and gender bias in the media.
Despite existing evidence of sexism in Western politics, Kathleen Dolan, a Political Science professor at the University of Wisconsin, argues that voters’ political opinions are unlikely to be influenced even if they are exposed to gender bias or objectification. Dolan’s survey suggests that instead, candidate evaluations are based on the individuals themselves and not abstract stereotypes. However, because Dolan’s survey was conducted through direct questioning regarding the respondents’ initial opinions on political candidates, it failed to take into account that over time, voters can become increasingly vulnerable to objectifying commentary in mass media which results in the development of biases and stereotypical beliefs. Any exposure to unequal treatment between male and female politicians can influence voters to view candidates differently. The way that female politicians are currently discussed can easily erode a woman candidate’s credibility and by not presenting the total story of a candidate’s political background, objectifying or stereotypical media can easily lead to assumptions that a female politician does not have the same qualifications as her male counterparts.
Sexual harassment and female objectification in media have been the most common forms of gender inequality in Western politics, and have resulted in the unequal participation of female politicians. In order to work towards achieving gender equality in all areas of society, solving the issues of gender harassment and objectification of female politicians becomes increasingly important, as they set a framework for how other women in society should be treated when faced with disadvantages in their fields. Therefore, it would be beneficial for Western governments to focus on eroding the foundations of sexism in political workplaces by reinforcing stricter policies against sexual harassment and raising awareness regarding the objectification of female politicians in mass media.