Hillary: President OR Grandmother?

Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton’s daughter, recently announced that she was expecting a child — making Hillary a soon-to-be grandmother.

Although most media sources expressed joy over the announcement, some took a different route and brought up questions over Clinton’s capability of running for president in 2016 as a grandmother. This criticism implies that a woman cannot be a grandmother AND president of the United States — a sexist and ageist reaction.

After doing my own research, it appears that the media never seems to question the ability of male candidates to perform their political roles if they are a grandfather. This exposes the brutal truth that even now, outdated notions of masculinity and femininity (and their designated ‘roles’) dictate how we view political candidates.

Clinton’s ability to run and uphold the presidency should be questioned on the grounds of her political experience — not from her future role being a grandmother. Even a former secretary of state cannot escape the rigid confines of gender and the criticisms that unfairly come from them.