Hillary Clinton expressed her hope at the Democratic National Convention that Kamala Harris might be the one to finally shatter the "highest, hardest glass ceiling" in America by becoming the first female president. Reflecting on her own experience, Clinton noted that she had made history by becoming the first woman to secure a major party's nomination for president. "When one of us breaks a barrier, it opens the path for all of us," she said, recalling her words from the convention eight years earlier. However, despite the historic nature of her 2016 presidential run, Clinton ultimately faced defeat in the election against Donald Trump.
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As the Democratic Party takes another shot at putting the first woman in the White House, Hillary Clinton addressed a crowd of thousands in Chicago, declaring that it was time to pass the torch. "Together, we’ve put countless cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling," Clinton said. "On the other side of that ceiling is Kamala Harris, raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States."
Times have changed since Clinton's presidential bid, as noted by several female delegates and politicians attending the 2024 DNC in Chicago. During her campaign, Clinton made her gender a central theme—something Harris has seemingly chosen to approach differently. Whether the political landscape has shifted enough for the vice president to reach the nation’s highest office remains an open question.
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Minyon Moore, chair of the Democratic National Convention Committee, remarked on Monday that Hillary Clinton had "shattered a lot of glass for many people." However, she acknowledged, "It's not easy. We’re trying to shift the mindset of people."
Women politicians and delegates who spoke to the BBC shared that they continue to face significant barriers in politics, both in running for office and while serving their communities. Mallory McMorrow, a state senator from Michigan, recalled her 2018 campaign when a woman in her district questioned whether she planned to have children, stating, "This is not a job for a mom." Despite this, McMorrow went on to become the second senator in Michigan's history to give birth while in office.
Judy Mount, the first African-American female chair of the Florida Democrats, noted that it took years for women to be allowed to serve as chairs of their state political parties. "People just do not want to see a woman in charge of anything," she said. "They do not."
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During her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton faced relentless criticism over her appearance, clothing, and even the sound of her voice. Deloris Hudson, an Ohio delegate at the Democratic National Convention, noted that Clinton entered the race with more "baggage" than the average candidate. Voters scrutinized Clinton not just for her qualifications and track record as a senator and U.S. Secretary of State but also for her relationship with her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Hudson believes many women judged Clinton for staying with her husband after his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Clinton's loss to Donald Trump in 2016 served as a catalyst for change, sparking women’s marches across the country and motivating a record number of female candidates to run for office in 2018. As a result, the percentage of women in the House of Representatives increased to 28.5% in 2023, up from 19.1% in 2017, according to the Pew Research Center. Over the past decade, data from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center shows a steady decline in the percentage of Americans who believe men are better suited for politics than women.
Several elections later, Vice President Kamala Harris doesn't face the same pressure to be "everything to every woman" as Clinton did, said Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow. "Since then, we've seen more women running and winning at every single level, which gives us more freedom and flexibility to be ourselves," McMorrow added.
