Senior Benjamin “Ben” Miller has always been drawn to politics. His interest spurred from his fascination with John F. Kennedy. Recently, Miller said he has noticed an increasing gender gap in politics. Today, a woman’s role in politics is typically associated with the gender gap, but news outlets don’t often cover the impact it has on males.

Miller said he believes Americans view males as ultimate figures of authority. According to a 2015 study conducted by Pew Research Center, 14 percent of Americans still believe that males are better suited to lead the country than women are.

However, around 75 percent believe both males and females are equally qualified to lead. “Everyone looks to the man to be the guy who makes decisions,” Miller said.
Robert Elder, Government and U.S. History teacher, said he doesn’t care what gender political leaders are. He said males and females will both differ in their views on contrasting beliefs.

“A female politician will present slightly different issues than a male politician would,” Elder said.
According to a 2012 survey taken by Gallup, men tend to place more importance on issues concerning the economy, while women seem to place more value on abortion and healthcare when they choose candidates.

The same study above conducted by Pew Research found that 44 percent of males lean towards the GOP, the Republican Party. Despite this, Elder said he believes there is no correlation between gender and political parties.

“People tend to align themselves with political parties that are representative of their views, more than specifically representative of either gender,” Elder said.
Miller said he doesn’t associate with a specific party. He said both parties’ ideas offer benefits to the country.

“I prefer how the Republicans handle our money, and I prefer how the Democrats handle our people,” Miller said.

As Miller nears voting age, he said it’s important that candidates address issues significant to him. Miller said he will attend college next year, and tuition poses a pertinent problem to him.

Democratic candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the “College for All” Act on May 19 this year. According to USA Today, this act would guarantee that the federal government covers 67 percent of tuition fees and state governments cover the rest.

Miller said, “I like Bernie Sanders because of how he is trying to solve college tuition fees.”

According to Miller, there has always been a gap in political views between genders, but it is starting to clear up. He said he believes the feminist movement and others like it are the cause of the gap.

Even though it is 2015, Miller said he has noticed the division between genders in politics still exists.
“(The gap) still exists, but it could be fixed in the future,” he said.