Woman-for-President idea gains in favor
by George Gallup
Princeton, NJ, Oct 28 — A woman for President of the United States?
American voters are getting to like that idea better and better.
Twelve years ago, they turned thumbs down on it with a resounding NO in an Institute survey. Today, the cause of women’s rights has advanced to the point where opinion is evenly divided on the idea of a woman for President.
A woman in the Vice-Presidential spot gets an even more favorable vote.
The importance of women in politics was highlighted this month when President Truman appointed America’s first woman ambassador — Mrs Eugenie Anderson of Red Wing, Minn — to be our envoy to Denmark. (Women have previously been appointed as ministers only). Having a woman for President was proposed recently by Vincent Sheean in a magazine article on the grounds that a woman as Chief Executive would be an “irresistible symbol” of America’s desire for peace.
Voters questioned
The idea of a woman in the White House was put before the nation’s voters by the Institute in interviews with a balanced cross-section in all states. Here are the results and a comparison with a similar survey in 1937:
“If the party whose candidate you most often support nominated a woman for President of the United States, would you vote for her if she seemed qualified for the job?”
Today [1949]
Yes: 48%
No: 48%
No opinion: 4%
1937
Yes: 33%
No: 63%
No opinion: 4%
