Socially, surnames are used as a sign of respect. The respect children have for their teachers and that colleagues have for each other is traditionally valued. However, whether it is intentional or not, women in politics are excluded from this mutual respect, something that is unfortunately defining them as people and political leaders. The “first-name treatment” exemplifies an implicit bias towards female politicians that is extremely prevalent; treating women and men as equals is not a foreign concept, yet the media, politicians and the public continue to fail to do so.
Female politicians constantly fight the likability battle. Women are forced not only to prove that they are capable, but also likable. Instead of focusing on policy and leadership qualities, voters scrutinize every other aspect of female candidates. Nobody cares what color tie President-Elect Donald Trump is wearing, but Vice President Kamala Harris’ shoes say something deep and personal about her leadership style. Women shouldn’t have to prove themselves on every level, to every audience; they should appeal to voters in the same way men do: as politicians, not friends.
Though it is somewhat unclear why female politicians are using their first names, sexism is clearly a factor. According to the Louisville Political Review, in the 2008 Democratic Primary, Hillary Clinton was referred to by her first name four times more than Barack Obama, her most significant male competitor. Clinton often used her first name in her campaign, possibly to differentiate herself from her husband; however, male news anchors referred to Clinton by her first name 11% of the time, as opposed to female news anchors who did so for less than 1%.
Trump individually furthers this issue by repeatedly and intentionally mispronouncing Harris’ first name, even after being corrected on numerous occasions. According to NPR, Trump, at a rally in July, informed everyone that he does not care about pronouncing Harris’ name correctly.
“‘They were explaining to me, ‘You can’t say “ka-MALA” — you can say “COMMA-la.”’ I said, ‘Don’t worry about it — I couldn’t care less if I mispronounce it. I couldn’t care less,’” Trump said.
Even when done unintentionally, the first-name treatment invalidates female politicians’ competence and expertise. When the media treats women with less respect than they treat men, the public is inclined to do so also. And, though likability is great, it is more important that people in office be competent and experienced individuals.
