[K-Women Talk] Will the Last Glass Ceiling in the U.S. Be Broken?

Dramatic Entry of Presidential Candidate Harris
Shifting the Election Landscape and Challenging to Become the First Female President

Kim Kyung-sun, former Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family

Although elections are notoriously difficult to predict even a step ahead, the upcoming 47th United States presidential election promises to be one of the most dramatic elections ever. The first dramatic moment occurred on July 13, when a bullet narrowly grazed the ear of Republican candidate Trump during a campaign rally. This incident, combined with a heroic photo of Trump bleeding under a fluttering American flag while raising one arm high, led some to speculate that the outcome of the U.S. presidential election was already decided.

However, a new dramatic development unfolded a week later. On July 21, President Biden, who had been struggling with age-related risks, announced his withdrawal from the race. Vice President Kamala Harris, with Biden’s endorsement and overwhelming support from delegates who hold the power to nominate the presidential candidate, was effectively nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate. Harris now only has the official nomination process left at the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to be held in Chicago from August 19 to 22.

The emergence of Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate carries significance beyond merely preventing a one-sided victory for Republican candidate Trump and intensifying the race between the Democratic and Republican parties. Harris, who is Black and Asian with a Jamaican father and Indian mother, and a woman, represents a triple minority background. Her very presence has shifted the election’s key issues.

The Biden vs. Trump contest was largely framed around traditional economic and security issues such as “Who can better control inflation and revive the economy?” and “Who can better handle China and Russia?” Harris’s emergence raises the question of whether issues of diversity and inclusion can take precedence over economic issues. It also sets the stage for new topics like women’s freedom and rights regarding pregnancy and childbirth to receive greater focus in the election. The stark contrast between the two candidates?male vs. female, white vs. people of color?not only consolidates their respective support bases but also significantly changes the election’s key issues. It could be said that the competition has evolved from a simple personality contest into a battle of election frames.

The U.S. presidency is often called the “last glass ceiling” for women. While women have long held top political positions in Europe?such as Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Angela Merkel, former Chancellor of Germany; and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission?the United States only saw its first female vice president with Kamala Harris’s nomination by Biden in 2020. Whether Harris can break the “last glass ceiling” by becoming the first elected female president remains difficult to predict due to many variables.

However, the possibility of a female president is undoubtedly higher than ever before. This situation is partly thanks to Hillary Clinton’s strong performance in 2016, when she won the popular vote but lost the election due to the Electoral College. If Harris wins, it will bring significant changes not only within the world’s greatest power, the United States, but also globally.

Harris’s campaign reportedly avoids emphasizing the historic nature of the first female presidency, considering the lessons from Hillary Clinton’s defeat. However, this is merely an election strategy, and the historic significance of Harris’s victory will be clear. Since Harris’s emergence, there has been a rallying of young and female voters in the U.S. Moreover, Harris has employed a clever campaign strategy in her first official rally by framing herself and Trump as prosecutor and criminal. The age issue, which Trump consistently used to attack Biden, has ironically become a boomerang against Trump himself.

Going forward, Harris will deliver her message based on racial diversity, advocating for consideration of minorities, and pursuing inclusion and unity. Regardless of the election outcome, the emergence of minority human rights and integration issues as core election agendas is very positive. Attention is focused on whether the last remaining glass ceiling will be shattered within this year.

Kim Kyung-sun, Former Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family