Why the sexist ‘likability test’ could haunt female candidates in 2020
Women face a double standard when it comes to public scrutiny – even as Americans say they’re ready for a female president
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It wasn’t Donald Trump, it wasn’t Lindsey Graham, it wasn’t any of the ageing white men who dominate the Republican party. It was, in fact, Barack Obama who in 2008 framed an unfortunate test for female politicians when he told his rival Hillary Clinton: “You’re likable enough, Hillary.”
When Clinton ran for the presidency again in 2016, more than one headline referred to her “likability problem”, and when Senator Elizabeth Warren in effect launched her own campaign this week, it did not take long for the old trope to rear its head. “How does Elizabeth Warren avoid a Clinton – written off as too unlikable before her campaign gets off the ground?” asked a tweet from the Politico website.