A bipartisan panel discussed the issue of women and the presidency last night during the inaugural event of the University Center for Politics' 2006 National Symposium on Women and Politics.
The event also marked the start of the "8 for '08" study by the White House Project, an organization which seeks to draw more women into political leadership roles, project president Marie Wilson said.
Through the end of March, the White House Project will poll people to see which of eight women they think could best serve as president.
"There are a couple of women who are being talked about over and over," Wilson said, citing Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice as examples.
In addition to Clinton and Rice, the project selected three other Republicans and three other Democrats to create the list of eight potential female presidential candidates.
Wilson said candidates were chosen because of their demonstrated political abilities. Four of the eight are senators, two are governors, one is a mayor and one is secretary of state.
Despite the apparent qualification of multiple women to hold high public offices, panelists agreed that women face significant obstacles in elections.
"The highest hurdle women have to clear is the homeland security hurdle," former Bill Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Meyers said. "Would people be comfortable with a woman running the war in Iraq?"
Wilson said that women must strike a careful balance to appear both tough and caring.
"It's not enough for a woman to be tough," Wilson said. "It's about being authentic."
Wilson also noted that the media often focus on a woman's appearance and personal life in order to distinguish her from male candidates.
"What we don't understand is the value of having multiple women out there," Wilson said. "People have to look beyond those things that are related to gender."
Panelist Bob Carpenter, a Republican political strategist, added that women are often doubtful of other women's ability to lead.
"Women tend to be their [own] worst enemy," Carpenter said, noting that some women who cannot envision themselves as a political leader doubt the abilities of other potential female leaders.
Despite the obstacles that women must overcome, the panelists said they are optimistic about the future.
Discussion moderator Morgan Felchner noted that the percentage of Americans willing to vote for a woman has increased from just over 50 percent in the 1950s to 92 percent according to a January CBS and New York Times poll.
Women are also gaining public approval in the area of foreign policy, Wilson said.
Meyers said women can use their femininity to their advantage and do not have to forsake family life for their careers.
"It's not either or," Meyers said. "It's about how chasing toddlers around the living room makes you a better senator."
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