Americans are used to voting for women. Will they ever elect one president? | Opinion (2025)

Democratic women and Republican women face different challenges. And women leaders, particularly political candidates, still have to deal with a unique set of barriers and attitudes.

As we celebrate the contributions and history of women in America during Women’s History Month, many will pose the wrong question about the viability of a woman being elected president of the United States. We believe the real question is when, not if.

Consider the remarkable progress women have made in the past three decades, along with the changing attitudes toward women's leadership. The number of women elected to public office has increased steadily across all levels of government, from local executive positions to national legislative roles, on both sides of the political aisle. To date, more than 60 women have served in the U.S. Senate and 51 women have served as governors, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.

In addition to these advances in government, women have broken barriers in the private sector and across various disciplines, holding leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies, entertainment and sports teams. They also have served as Cabinet secretaries, justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, labor leaders, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attorneys general and vice president of the United States.

We’ve seen women run for president on the Republican, independent and Democratic Party tickets, with two women, Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, becoming the Democratic nominee for the highest office in the land. Both major political parties have nominated women for vice president.

With these milestones in mind, it's clear that the American electorate is increasingly accustomed to voting for women in positions of executive leadership. The momentum is unmistakable. Women have proved themselves capable in every realm of elected leadership, from local offices to the highest echelons of national governance. As such, the question is no longer whether a woman will be elected president, but when.

Women face difficult obstacles as political candidates

Obviously the road to this goal is not at all easy.

For starters, women leaders, particularly political candidates, still have to deal with a unique set of barriers and attitudes. Two decades of research from the nonpartisan Barbara Lee Family Foundation has helped to identify the challenges women candidates face when running for executive office, regardless of party affiliation.

Among the most critical is voters’ perception that male candidates are inherently qualified but that women, regardless of their résumé, must continually prove their qualifications to gain voter trust.

The foundation’s research also found that even when two women compete against each other for elected executive leadership, voters expect both candidates to prove their qualifications. It is crucial for women candidates to showcase their crisis management and problem-solving capabilities as part of the "qualification" test. Demonstrating these skills is vital to overcoming skepticism and earning voter confidence.

A second hurdle for women candidates is navigating the importance of "likability" and the unique factors that influence it. Voters are generally more willing to support a man they view as qualified, even if they don’t particularly like him. However, for women, likability plays a critical role in earning voter support − an intangible yet essential quality that is difficult for many voters to articulate.

Opinion: Voters rejected the qualified candidate. Can we ever have a woman president?

Research indicates that a combination of style and substance, alongside clear demonstrations of qualifications, significantly contributes to perceptions of likability.

Women candidates, in particular, must strike a careful balance between strength and empathy to be seen as both competent and relatable.

Misinformation targeted more often at women candidates

Additionally, misinformation and disinformation are disproportionately targeted at women candidates, as highlighted by #ShePersisted. Women of color face an even greater burden, experiencing disinformation at twice the rate of other candidates.

Kristina Wilfore, cofounder of #ShePersisted, has found in her research that sexist, racist and extremist attacks are particularly damaging, undermining perceptions of a woman’s qualifications, likability and alignment with key voter priorities.

Your Turn: Are we covering the Trump administration too much? Here's what you told us. | Opinion Forum

While increasing numbers of Americans have voted for a woman candidate for office at some level, and nearly 10 million more people voted for a woman for president in 2024 (75 million) than in 2016 (65.8 million), demographic and structural challenges to winning persist.

Democratic women and Republican women face different challenges. A Democratic candidate now must overcome the gatekeeping of both party elites and Democratic primary voters who may be concerned that other voters won't support a woman candidate.

And a Republican candidate will need to contend with Republican primary voters' strong dislike of identity politics.

So, is the only way America will elect a woman for president is if both the Republican and Democratic Parties nominated a woman? That scenario recently played out in Mexico, leading to the election of Claudia Sheinbaum, the country’s first woman president.

Mexico joined 59 other United Nations member states that have been led by women.

While women candidates would still face unique challenges, both major parties nominating women would at least guarantee that one would be elected president. Since 2000, 12 women have run for president in the Democratic and Republican Parties.

The United States does have a precedent for women running against one another in high-profile elections. In 2022, 25 women were nominated for governor by both major parties. In five of those contests − Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and Oregon − women faced off directly.

In 2024, New Hampshire voters chose between two women nominees, and voters in Virginia will likely do the same this year.

Today, 13 Republican and Democratic women serve as governor − a record number. Governorships have long been viewed as a stepping stone to the presidency.

The record-breaking number of women in gubernatorial roles could signal a shift, potentially paving the way for more women to pursue the nation’s highest office in the future.

Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, was one of two lead pollsters for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. She also is a pollster for the Democratic National Committee. Amanda Iovino was the lead pollster for Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 gubernatorial campaign in Virginia. She also is a pollster for Republican campaigns and committees. Karen Finney is a CNN political commentator. She was senior spokesperson and senior adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.