As the election nears, I’m having a difficult time reconciling my conservative ideology with my role as a woman in American society. Women are extremely underrepresented in the U.S. Congress (they make up only 15 percent of it). Currently there are only 14 female Senators, and 67 female representatives. However, women conservatives are even more underrepresented as there are only 29 conservative women in the entire Congress.

In my home state of Washington, both of our Senators are women, Senator Maria Cantwell — who’s up for reelection tomorrow — and Patty Murray, both Democrats. So who do I vote for? I’d like to vote for a conservative, but it would be a shame to see one of the very few Congresswomen be defeated in this election. Only three states have two female Senators: Washington, California and Maine. Only eight other states have women Senators. That means that, although women make up approximately 50 percent of the population, 39 states in America are being primarily represented by men.

With Nancy Pelosi eyeing the role of Speaker of the House, I find myself questioning whether I, like fellow columnist Billy McMorris, would want to keep the gavel out of her hands, or if I would exalt another female leader in the male dominated world of politics. And what about the 2008 presidential elections? Despite my intense dislike of Hillary: who she is, and everything she stands for, it would be nice to see a First Gentleman for once.

It’s no wonder that women’s rights activists are always pushing women’s political concerns. Without a significant number of women in politics, who is going to ensure access to birth control, health care that includes mammograms, and quality education for our children? Do men really understand what it is that women need? It seems like the only real women’s issue that is ever talked about is abortion, and believe it or not, there are a significant number of women who don’t support it, regardless of what men may think.

Women in other countries around the world have stepped up to the plate. When President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson was elected president of Liberia, she became the first female president in Africa. Rwanda now has the greatest number of women in politics of any country worldwide. How come a continent riddled with disease, poverty and corruption can come out on top in terms of female representation in politics? China, a country that has historically abused its female population, had a female head of state in 1979. The People’s Republic of Tannu Tuva, Mongolia, Argentina and Bolivia all had female presidents before 1980. Countries from Chile to Finland to Burundi have all had female executives, but somehow the United States can’t follow in the rest of the world’s footsteps. America, a clear world leader in many ways, falls behind in the ultimate expression of democracy.

On the ballot tomorrow, you may notice that again only 15 percent of the candidates are female. Even if every single one of those women won their respective elections, women still wouldn’t make up more than a quarter of Congress. Women make up 58 percent of all college graduates; overall, 63 percent of women who enrolled in four-year colleges graduated, compared to 55 percent of men. As antiquated as it might sound, women are excelling more and more in math and science, continuing to break into more traditionally masculine fields such as business and finance, yet not politics. Why? Maybe the answer is in how campaigns are run in this country. With all the mudslinging and personal attacks, who in their right mind would want to subject themselves to that kind of abuse? Society makes public whipping boys out of candidates and their families, exposing every little part of their personal lives. Maybe women care too much about their families, to expose their loved ones in this way.

So what is a conservative girl to do? Do I vote for my sex or my ideology? Which part of my identity is more important to me, and why are they somehow mutually exclusive? If more women ran for office, especially more conservatives, I wouldn’t be in this conundrum. What is it about politics, specifically conservative politics, that turns women away? The GOP has often been referred to as the old boys club, a party that is historically not very open to women. With a party platform that includes minimum gun control, pro-life ideas, anti-environment advocacy and low education reform, it is easy to see why most women wouldn’t want to identify themselves with the Right. Increasingly however, the Right is becoming more representative of family values, patriotic ideals and strong government, and yet, women still aren’t running. There seems to be a stigma for women conservatives, almost like we’re selling out our gender in favor of politics.

So tomorrow at the polls, or when you’re filling in your absentee ballots, remember the women of America. Remember the fairer sex, an entire half of the population that is not being accurately represented in our nation’s politics. There is absolutely nothing that makes women less effective as politicians, but it seems we have to do more to convince our male counterparts of that truth. The only leg up men have on women is precedent, and that’s not enough. The future of America rests in the hands of the women in this country, we just need to grab it.

Hannah Stearns is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at hes32@cornell.edu. Paint the Town Red appears alternate Mondays.