The tumultuous and historic 2024 presidential election has now ended with former President Donald Trump winning the race for the White House against Vice President Kamala Harris. The conclusion of the election speaks volumes about many values of voters nationwide, but calls one truth into sharp focus: The United States is a country that deeply despises women.
Voters across the country held onto hope that the results of the 2024 election would yield us the first female president of the United States. It’s not unreasonable to believe that a felon-led campaign based on bigotry would not be successful in securing the American peoples’ vote for president-elect, especially against a well-educated candidate with 21 years of government experience. Yet, we as a nation now find ourselves confronting another four years of a Trump presidency.
This election maintained a focus on two primary issues: reproductive rights and the economy, both of which are major reasons to vote for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. However, there is a stark difference in how women and the issue of reproductive rights have been treated by Trump compared to members of the Democratic party, and that difference is rooted in misogyny.
In an attempt to appeal to his voters, Trump boasted about his involvement in the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade with pride despite the skyrocketing rate of women dying in states with strict abortion bans. Texas alone has seen a 56% increase in maternal mortality between 2019 and 2022. It also cannot be forgotten that Trump has made countless sexist remarks demeaning women, and in May 2023, was found liable for sexual assault by a New York jury.
While one could infer that Trump is not suited to lead a country predominantly populated by women based on this information, our nation’s collective disdain for women put sexism and perceived economic benefit ahead of women’s rights and well-being in this election.
Regarding the economy that voters were so deeply invested in, analyses from Nobel Prize-winning economists indicated that Harris’ economic plans were “vastly superior” to those of Trump’s. Yet, the businessperson was elected president over the female candidate.
To this extent, I struggle to fathom the call for a “better economy.” I never thought that the value of a dollar would outweigh my worth as a woman.
The Nov. 5 election serves to prove and remind us that patriarchy continues to have a tight grasp on the United States. This nation was founded on the idea of equal opportunity but continues to deny it to women.
It is angering that our country has continually stripped women of not only our rights, but also our hope that one day we may exist in a world where women are viewed as equals to men.
In these early days following the election, a woman’s future in the United States feels dismal, but one thing is certain: The anger and sadness that we are experiencing in solidarity with our sisters, mothers and friends for the way we have been treated will not dissipate, nor will we let it be ignored.
Kara Orsini is a fourth-year health science major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at [email protected].
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