Kai Lin/Is the U.S. Ready for a Female President?

Summarise the article’s three main points. To what extent do you agree with the writer? Give at least one example supporting your answer.

The article talks about whether America is ready to have a female head-of-state (as Hillary Clinton, former First Lady, was a very likely possibility at that time). It presents three different points of view on this issue.

The first point of view is the American people's. According to some polls (by CNN and Gallup), at least 60% of Americans believe that the country is ready for a female president and 88% said they would vote for a well-qualified woman for president.

However, some people beg to differ. The second point of view comes from some researchers from the Northern Illinois University. They stated that there is a significant proportion of Americans who are hiding their true feelings with regards to female candidates for presidency when they participate in such polls. This means that the polls might not be as accurate and hence America may not be as ready for a female president as they seem.

The third point of view is by well-known world leaders. The article quotes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (under the George W. Bush administration). Prime Minister Blair thought that people aren't as biased or prejudiced as they seem, and that the best person should get the job, regardless of gender or anything else. Ms Rice felt very strongly that America was ready for a female president.

I agree with the world leaders that the writer quotes in this article. The world today is much more developed than it was in the past. This is reflected in the way we treat people of different ethnicities and backgrounds. One example would be the way White Americans used to treat African-Americans. There used to be a lot of discrimination against African-Americans, but now, after the emancipation of slaves and civil rights movements, Americans in general are comfortable enough with African-Americans to elect Barack Obama as their first African-American president ever, in 2008. Hence, like what PM Tony Blair said, people are really a lot more rational and unbiased than they seem to be. In this case, the belief that it should really be the best person (and not the best man) for president is what most Americans seem to have. Therefore, I believe that modern Americans would be less prejudiced towards any particular race or gender and would support the most qualified and capable presidential candidate, be it male or female. America is ready for a female president- it just depends on whether there are any competent and reliable female candidates in the next election.