TRUE POWER WITHOUT THE POWER PLAY.

• Author: Steindorf, Leeza Carlone
• Position: AMERICAN THOUGHT

AFTER DINNER last night, as they were washing the dishes, Ashley surprised her family by proclaiming her plans to become president of the U.S.--a bold statement for a seven-year-old. When asked why she wants one of the hardest jobs with so much responsibility, she said, "Because when I go to dance lessons, I see those people who don't have beds and sleep on the sidewalk. That's not okay, and I think we should go to school to learn and play and not be scared that someone's gonna shoot us." Then she paused before adding,"I think I could fix some stuff." Indeed.

When Ashley runs for president around 2047, we want to believe that her gender no longer will be an issue in the discussion, but rather her ability and commitment to solving problems of the day. Today, however, taking gender into account when considering placement in power still is a norm, and many are more than ready for that to change.

Early in the 20th century, women had fewer rights than men--for instance, they could not vote--and the women activists of the time, the suffragettes, fought hard against that norm. Their efforts paid off. The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, giving women the legal right to vote.

We have come far in many ways concerning women's rights and equality. Yet, the #MeToo movement has more than blown the lid off of the pervasive undercurrent of inequality, harassment, and abuse that continues to be tolerated in our society. Most would agree there is a problem here, but there is less agreement on how to solve it.

Ashley is not yet aware of how things work. It has not occurred to her that the passion, insight, and abilities that she will groom to run the country as president are not all that will be under the spotlight when she runs for office. Should we tell her that her gender will be an issue, or should we roll up our sleeves and assure that she only reads in her U.S. history books about archaic distractions such as basing a person's value and ability to serve on characteristics like gender--or skin color, sexual preference, or age for that matter?

We talk a lot about equality and how our legal system can, and should, establish it. In 1979, Lilly Ledbetter sued Goodyear Tire and Rubber for having been paid significantly less than her male counterparts for equal work for the 18 years of her employment with the company. It reached the Supreme Court, but was overturned because the case had not been filed within 180 days of her initial discriminatory paycheck. Unfortunately for her...