#GetOutTheBias
this election
This is a historic election for women. Vice President Kamala Harris is at the top of the ticket – a barrier-breaking candidate who could become the first Black woman and the first South Asian woman to be elected president. And up and down the ballot, accomplished women are running for office.
These women are shattering outdated expectations of what it looks like to be an elected leader. Because of their candidacies, girls across the country will see new possibilities for themselves – and that matters.
But these women will face pushback because of deep-rooted bias. Voters will be more likely to question their qualifications, criticize how they look and speak, and respond negatively when they assert themselves. And it will be even more difficult for women of color – including for Vice President Harris who will be up against both sexism and racism.
In the lead-up to November, Lean In is highlighting how bias impacts women candidates and what you can do to challenge it head on. Together we can #GetOutTheBias and focus on what really matters: candidates’ ideas and experience.
How bias impacts women candidates
Our See Maya Run video highlights the challenges women candidates face up and down the ballot—with people more likely to judge them more harshly, hold them to different standards than men, or simply dislike them.
How to challenge biased reactions to women candidates
Our interactive Hear That? Say This tool recommends what to say when you hear biased reactions to women candidates like, “I don’t think a woman can win” or “I just don’t like her.”