On September 8, 2019, in Costa Mesa, the AAPI Victory fund and Asian American Rising Pac hosted their first Democratic Presidential forum. Three Democratic candidates Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Steyer, and Andrew Yang, took the stage to answer questions regarding healthcare, immigration, the economy, and income inequality.  

 The forum was filled with a diverse group of males and females. The young audience made their presence felt by asking questions regarding their futures and the inclusion of women. For young females, it was very empowering to be able to engage in politics, and not only that, but being able to see that not all candidates were males. 

This event empowered women of all ages. Irma Herrera tells us that “Even though I was not present at the event, I was very proud to see that there was a woman at the presidential forum because when she was young she had no hopes of being able to see a woman running for the presidency due to the gender roles society had implemented.”  She believes that women’s future goals should be to do and accomplish whatever they want without it being such a surprise for the community. 

Now in the year 2019, there is a very diverse group of candidates running for the presidency. Currently, there are 18 men and 5 women running for the presidential election. The difference between males and females running is a gap of 72 percent. The difference is pretty significant if we compare it to previous elections, but there is still room for improvement. 

Sebastian Matta, a student from Anaheim High School, believes that “ I would not be surprised if we had a female president. However, I think it would be interesting because there are men who still feel superior to every female, so they probably would not vote for women. I think gender equality is not a matter of only men, but society as a whole and an issue more about equity than equality.” 

Gender equality is a topic that affects everyone and causes controversy, but there will be more and more improvements as time passes. Both males and females continue to fight together to end gender roles. 

From 1848 until now, women have fought for gender equality. In other words, to be able to have access to the same things and opportunities, regardless of their gender, and being able to aspire for the same dreams. 

Women were unable to own property, vote, and engage in politics. It is now the 21st century, and the United States has been challenged to grant women and men the same rights. There is still a long way to go for women to obtain equal pay, legalizing abortion in all states, and lowering rape and harassment levels to zero. Last but not least, women are fighting to be viewed as capable when running as presidential candidates. 

The first US presidential elections were held on 1788-89. Throughout the years, all the US presidents and the candidates were males until 1872. It took 84 years for a woman to challenge males and run for the presidency. The woman who ran in 1872 was Victoria Woodhull. Woodhull was an activist for women’s rights and labor reform. The reason why she ran for the presidency was to convey the message that women are as capable of as males. Victoria Woodhull ran for president 48 years before women gained the right to vote.  

Today the five women running for president walk the trail that Victoria Woodhull paved. 

Resources: 

Burns, Alexander, et al. “Who’s Running for President in 2020?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Jan. 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/politics/2020-presidential-candidates.html.

“Victoria Woodhull.” EHISTORY, ehistory.osu.edu/biographies/victoria-woodhull.