Girls Inc. Exercises Democracy
'She Votes' Mock Election Teaches Civic Responsibility
This month we take our mission — inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold — to a new level. More than two centuries after the Office of the President was established in 1789, Hillary Clinton made history as the first female presidential candidate of a major party. Now is the time to build on that first.
At Girls Inc. of Carpinteria and Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, our two local Girls Inc. affiliate organizations, we celebrate this achievement, and we experience a profound, collective shift in the perception of what’s possible: that a woman can be a leader at the highest level and for the highest elected office in our nation.
While this election did not yield our first female president, the path forward for women and girls has become more illuminated. No other election in the U.S. has focused more attention on the treatment and abilities of women. No other election has symbolized more our progress made — and the progress still to be made — toward gender equality. And no other election put under a microscope the gender double-standards around physical appearance, character, likeability, and qualifications that still exist for women seeking leadership roles — whether it be in the workplace or for elected office.
