Eleanor Roosevelt Sex Line Analysis

Eleanor Roosevelt’s overall belief is that someday a woman may be able to be president, but the woman of her time were not ready. She said, “Time will show, I think that women are capable of attending to detail and are able to think clearly even when their emotions are involved, but until this has been proved, there is little use in pushing women into positions which will be made untenable for them by prejudice.” It has been decades since this quote was said and I believe it is time for women to pursue the election. Later on Roosevelt commented “...we shall, I believe, have to reach the point in industry and in government where the sex line is practically removed.” I don’t necessarily think the sex line is removed but the line is certainly

She said, “Women are usually credited with being more emotional than men; less able to hold an objective point of view, more given to injecting the personal note.” Then she followed by saying “Taken by and large, however, you will find more men than women discussing questions of public policy when they get together.” Roosevelt is judging women based on mass and stereotype. Not every woman is the same, but she is correct that most women couldn’t handle being president, but not all men could be either. Just because you’re male doesn’t make you the perfect fit so why should women be judged the same. What about that one woman that did enjoy questioning public policy, but was told she couldn’t because most other women didn’t. Toward the end of her speech, Roosevelt said: “That, however, does not alter the fact that women cannot afford to fail in any work which they undertake, particularly if it is work of a public character.” Women have never been given the chance to fail. Hundreds of years have been built on men who have failed and succeeded. I understand she is saying “women have one shot don’t blow it” but men could fail just as easily as women. Every single person is different and has something different to offer. A woman could be the better candidate than a man and a man could be a better candidate than a woman but it is unfair if a man is a better candidate because he is a man. She said it