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The Price to Play Like her or not, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's run for the Oval Office has cast a spotlight on a blatant issue in this country – sexism. The U.S. has a long history of sending clarion calls to other countries to end degrading policies toward women and girls that include everything from denying rights to basic education to performing genital mutilation. Although right and noble to advocate for the rights of women and girls in other nations, the U.S. would do well to look at its own policies and barriers designed to make it hard for women to thrive in positions historically dominated by men. From equal pay for equal work to marginalizing a woman based on her looks, America has work to do when it comes to creating a culture of parity for women. As for Clinton, it's safe to say that she's had to take some things on the chin. Some may say it's par for the course when you run for a public office like the presidency. Others may contend that sexism, by its very nature, is counterintuitive to the democratic ideas that the U.S. has touted since its foundation. Regardless, what America's discourse has shown is that she has endured jokes and jeers about her bathroom breaks, her appearance, wardrobe and even her voice. Specifically, she has been labeled as shrill and frumpy and more recently called out by the Republican frontrunner as someone who doesn't look presidential – and – could not garner voter support if she were a man. According to the book "Masculinity, Media, and The American President" by Meredith Conroy, most American voters view the presidency as a masculine position held by someone with masculine qualities. Many Americans are divided about whether or not a woman should hold the highest office in the land. According to a study published in The Washington Post, parents of daughters are more likely to support Clinton than parents of sons. As Clinton trumps America's idea of who should wear the pants in the White House, she has directly and in some cases indirectly proven that America's mindset about gender parity requires a reboot. Consider this fact: In America, it is very common for women to handle the household finances, work outside the home while taking care of the home and raising the children. Yet, even with this degree of fortitude, too often women are deemed incapable of succeeding in leadership roles culturally reserved for men. Clinton's audacity to run for president and push the envelope further than any other female candidate, ever, has been met with demeaning insults perhaps proportionate to her success on the trail. If being referred to as a "corporate Democratic wh*re" isn't enough, her voice has been characterized in the media as "loud, flat and harassing to the ear," and that she has a "decidedly grating pitch and punishing tone." Bob Woodward, a veteran editor at The Washington Post, said, "She shouts…something unrelaxed about the way she is communicating." Televised Sexism "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" chronicled not just the trial, but the pronounced sexism that prosecuting attorney Marcia Clark endured. Her hair, childcare issues, parenting abilities, custody battle and leaked nude photos made for insatiable media fodder in 1995. "As for my hair, here's the true 'saga,'" Clark told Salon News. "I had it permed long before the trial. I had two babies at home and no time for hair drama. When the trial started, I got my hair trimmed, which made the perm kink up a bit (less weight on the hair makes it curl up more). Then, when the perm started to grow out and look scraggly, I had no time to get it permed again, so I just blew it out, because my hair is naturally straight. And when I did that, the press had a field day." Every time Clark walked in the courtroom with a new haircut, the media went nuts. Instead of enjoying the luxury of single mindedly focusing on the job at hand (like and talented leading prosecuting attorney, worried reduced her to someone to be looked at and was leading the prosecution in one of the most fact that she felt compelled to give a detailed itself. Foul Play Elena Delle Donne's WNBA stats are pure gold. free throw record is 95 percent accurate, one summer, WNBA commented that "her accuracy period, let alone women's basketball. Steve Nash Stephen Curry (90%) rank as the top three in albeit with many, many more attempts than Delle The six-foot-five powerhouse expressed frustration other WNBA players face as athletes in a male-dominated her skills on the court, the majority of the headlines pertain to her looks. "I just can't wait for the day when people want to talk about your skills on the court and not your looks," she said. One reporter wrote that if you search for Elena Delle Donne on social media, it is evident just how much sexism she faces with "her gender and appearance serving as fodder for discussion instead of her raw and unstoppable skills." Women in sports, whether working on the court or off, are especially susceptible to scorn and ridicule laden with sexist overtones. The next story is a bit tough to read, but one that needs to be told. Editor's Note: What follows contains references to offensive language meant to address a sensitive but important subject matter. We have opted to infer to certain words as they are too crass to include outright. Sports Reporting While Female The first time sports writer Julie DiCaro was called here on) was on a sports blog back in 2006. She guy had said about the Cubs' starting lineup, "Why would you bat Todd Walker second, you disagreed with other male bloggers but never DiCaro. She said the message got through loud sports opinion, while at the same time being Almost a decade later in the midst of the Patrick Chicago Blackhawks) rape investigation, DiCaro prominent Chicago sports radio station. After unhappy fans hit back hard on social media. One contained personal details about her life. "I simply my office," she said. "It didn't help matters that victim. I wasn't taking any chances with my safety." accessHealthNews.net PAGE 6 "I just can't people want on the By Tonia Wright, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief SEXISM: An Unhealthy Where Photo credit: CNN.com