Sarah Kendrick is a rising junior interning at Legal Momentum for the Equality Works Division, which works to increase the entrance and retention of women in nontraditional careers.

Although a female president will not mark the end of gender discrimination, the first female president will present a giant stepping stone to overcoming gender discrimination. Without a female president, it seems that gender discrimination can only improve at a sluggish pace and thus would take decades more to overcome or, on a more practical note, to make any headway. A consistent flood of women running for president and winning on a frequent basis will condition society to be more comfortable with women in high political positions and thus eventually end, or minimize, gender biases in this field.

Further, the president of the United States is one of the most public figures in the world. A female president will not only defy gender discrimination and biases within the political world, but will adjust the lens that Americans see the entire country with. Consequentially, the position of women across all sectors will improve.

For instance, the media greatly influences the United States’ perceptions and biases. If more women are running the media will be forced to report more on women and will hopefully become more comfortable talking about women in an appropriate manner. This conditioning combined with greater experience covering female candidates will hopefully help to rid the media of biased reporting that promotes gender norms and discrimination.

Additionally, consistent backlash from Americans against the media for discriminatory reporting will help to bring greater attention to gender discrimination in this country and thus shame media to report in an unbiased manner. Without constant biased reporting and discriminatory language flooding the media outlets that pour onto our computer screens, phones, televisions, iPads, and radios, Americans will have one less influential outlet to learn discriminatory language and biases from.

But how do we get more female candidates running for president and thus eventually a female president? I believe that one of the many vehicles is role models. Role models provide a source of encouragement and example for women and girls. In a field where women are highly underrepresented, role models are crucial to persuade and support more girls into running for office. Role models provide women with a safe and understanding ear to confine in with their struggles in a male dominated world. This support will provide women with the courage and strength to continue forward. Lastly, role models serves as an example for all women and girls for they can be or become, thereby influencing their aspirations and goals in life, such as to be the first female president of the United States.

Politics is a crucial way to improve women’s status. While it is a messy and often fraudulent endeavor, it is essential to carry out and enforce many of this nation’s operations and goals. Politics has done both good and bad. For instance, it has ended slavery but also created it. Its immense power for good and the intricate delicacy that makes up politics are most interesting to me. People must efficiently weave in and out of various political ideals in order to use politics as an effective vehicle to achieve social action. This often controversial dance is what allures many to follow, utilize, and loathe politics.

I believe that both the government and grassroots groups are necessary in order to achieve significant social change. Grassroots groups encourage the government to make changes and the government implements and enforces grassroots’ goals so that all people must follow, in order to achieve universal change. For instance, during the civil rights era, if only grassroots activism had been utilized to rid segregation it would have been impossible to persuade every single employer, public location, educator, local government, and anyone else to stop segregation without the enforcement of the government.