When over 84 million viewers sat in front of their televisions on Sept. 26, they thought they were going to watch the first U.S. presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Instead what viewers got was a window peering into the everyday experiences many women face in the workplace.
Insults, personal attacks and interruption after interruption (at least 39 to be exact, but who’s counting?) were hurled at Clinton from Trump’s direction.
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“Now in all fairness to Secretary Clinton – yes, is that OK? Good. I want you to be very happy. It’s very important to me.”
“Typical politician. All talk, no action.”
“I have a feeling that by the end of this evening, I’m going to be blamed for everything that’s ever happened,” Clinton said at one point.
“Why not?” Trump replied.
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Then with a smile on her face and a sarcastic tone Clinton came back with, “Why not? Yeah, why not?”
This back-and-forth war of words in the race for president ended up being the most watched televised presidential debate in America’s history – and possibly the most important for women, says Susan Lee, master lecturer of social sciences and gender at Boston University.
Global News spoke with Lee ahead of the second U.S. presidential debate – which takes place Sunday, Oct. 9 – and looked at how Clinton’s experience behind the podium on Sept. 26 closely mirrored that of the workplace reality for many women today, and what it could mean for each woman’s future in the corporate world.
The Trump Treatment
What started off as a typical debate between two presidential candidates quickly turned into the mud-slinging event many were anticipating.
In fact, it only took Trump seven minutes to throw shade at Clinton when he asked if he could refer to her as Secretary Clinton because he wanted her to be “very happy.”
“I think [the debate] was really kind of emblematic of women trying to rise up in the workplace and entering non-traditional occupations and roles and challenging males in authority positions,” says Lee. “This is going back 50 years with women entering the workplace and entering new roles, rising up and taking a bigger role than they had before.”
One issue Clinton dealt with – that many other women often face – was the questioning of her competency, Lee says.
The interruptions, eye-rolling, condescension, and personal attacks made by Trump toward Clinton showed just that, Lee says. She notes it was almost as if he was saying his statements were more important than Clinton’s.
And while Trump didn’t directly comment on Clinton’s physical appearance during the debate, he had done so leading up to their square-off.
“Women have to be careful on how they dress, how they present themselves because there is much more scrutiny for women, especially for women in non-traditional occupations and women aiming for higher positions,” Lee says. “Obviously Clinton has thought about this very much being dressed in her red power pantsuit. She carefully presented herself and was very successful.”
Where women stand now
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Women today continue to face barriers in their professional life, despite strides having been made over the years within many individual companies, says a recent study by McKinsey & Company.
According to the report, women continue to take a back seat to men when it comes to many aspects of the workplace.
“Companies’ commitment to gender diversity is at an all-time high, but they are struggling to put their commitment into practice, and many employees are not on board,” the report reads.
Of those companies surveyed, 93 per cent say they use clear criteria for their gender equality practices while only 57 per cent of employees say they actually see those criteria put into practice.
After examining data from over 132 companies and surveying more than 34,00 employees on gender, opportunity, career and work-life issues, researchers found women are less likely to be promoted to manager positions and so fewer end up on the path to leadership.
The uneven playing field women face at work continues to hurt their chances at professional advancement, the study says.
As well, more women are now less interested in becoming top executives as they anticipate a steeper path to the top.
The issue of gender bias was further explored in a previous study conducted by VitalSmarts in 2015.
The study revealed that women’s perceived competency drops 35 per cent when they’re judged as being “forceful” or “assertive.”
According to careers author Caryl Riversomen and Business Insider, women are also judged more harshly on their appearance, are often interrupted or ignored in meetings and seen as “bitchy,” and are less likable when they’re successful.
Clinton the role model
Clinton’s cool-under-pressure approach and competency is something every woman should strive for, says Lee, and when they’re confronted with sexism they should take it head on.
“When women are treated in a sexist way they should find ways to confront those who are mistreating them in an appropriate way,” she says. “Women don’t want to be seen as complaining because they’re likely to be seen as whiners… Women don’t have to suffer in silence but they do have to be careful in how they bring up the issues.”
The best way, Lee says, is to present the facts and be strategic – just like Clinton.
“If people are brought evidence in a calm, cool and professional way, that’s good for women to do and they can help bring about some change.”
In order to do that, however, women need to support other women, Lee says.
“Cultivate female friends who can support you when things get rough,” says Lee. “But you have to cultivate male friends and allies too, and build relationships so you have these people and weight behind you.”
Perhaps the most important thing women can learn from Clinton is to always aim high, Lee says, and not be afraid.
“She really represents the advancement of women; she’s on the leading edge here,” says Lee. “It’s not just about the presidency for women; it’s about [every] woman’s role and place in society and their desire to be treated as equals. There’s a lot riding for women in this election.”
What to expect when you’re expecting the presidency
It’s hard to say what Clinton will encounter on Oct. 9; if she’ll face more of the same treatment from her opponent, less or about the same, Lee says.
But if Clinton continues to make history and becomes the first woman to be the President of the United States, then we can expect a very different type of leadership – perhaps one for the better, Lee says.
There have been several studies done over the years that show companies led by women CEOs tend to far better than companies headed by men.
According to one study by Quantopian, researchers found that women CEOs in the Fortune 1000 produce an average of three times the returns compared to S&P 500 companies run by men. The S&P 500, also known as Standard & Poor’s 500, is a stock market index based on the capitalizations of 500 large enterprises in the U.S.
Another 2015 study by MSCI came to a similar conclusion: “Companies in the MSCI World Index with strong female leadership generated a Return on Equity of 10.1 per cent per year versus 7.4 per cent for those without,” the report reads.
“The world works better when women are in positions of authority,” Lee says. “For a woman to be in a place of authority is so countercultural. But I think women are ready for it. I think women’s experiences are that women can do these jobs well – and often things are better when women are involved.”
Graphics by Caroline Stephenson
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