We would all like to think we can see a woman as a leader. Men across the political spectrum insist that misogyny is something archaic they have risen above, personally and politically. This doesn’t change the fact that allowing women to hold power temporarily doesn’t mean we accept women as leaders, a myth that has blinded us to America’s political reality.

“Harris still couldn’t compete with the patriarchal tradition of having a man protect you”

Across Europe, Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen have flourished politically and, even in America, Harris became the Vice President and the Democrat presidential candidate in 2024: no small feat after Clinton’s 2016 loss. Somehow, this doesn’t matter in the long term. After years of Merkel running Germany, the Reykjavík Index found that only 41% of Germans would trust a woman leading the country. When the same study asked explicitly if men could trust women as leaders, overwhelmingly, participants denied their biases.

This could be a symptom of a wider political issue: voters chasing safety in a turbulent time. I would say, with the war in Ukraine disrupting the world’s access to oil, and the continuing impacts of COVID-19, looking for economic security in post-2008 America is a pipe dream. Trump’s response is to sell himself as a father figure, scaring off schoolyard bullies Russia and China while returning America to a fictional economic past.

Harris, a former Attorney General, still couldn’t compete with the patriarchal tradition of having a man protect you (something American male voters seem to want desperately). Something similar happened to Theresa May during the Brexit negotiations — no male Conservative wanted to tarnish their image of ‘patriarchal protector’ by fighting the losing battle that was wrangling Parliament and Brussels simultaneously. Instead, May fell victim to the ‘Glass Cliff’ phenomenon, where a woman is placed into power when a company is about to fail.

Even personality couldn’t buy Harris votes. She was criticised for laughing too much, called a childless cat lady by JD Vance, whilst also accused of being too public about her family. The virality of Harris’ pick did nothing to sway swing voters when her every move was made either sinister or juvenile.

The American public entrusted their country to a geriatric man-child and his running mate, whose single year of congressional experience was a direct result of billionaire Peter Thiel throwing money at him — which tells you everything you need to know. Lobbyists like Thiel would rather spend millions backing male political newcomers than support a woman, who was the most governmentally-qualified presidential candidate in recent memory. This bias was recognised by Democrats in 2020, consciously picking the most classic white, male, government-hardened candidate they could find to oust Trump.

We can see this same bias in Britain. Like Trump, Boris Johnson was given years of grace by the internet and media to behave like a child. His considerable number of children, illicit parties and mistresses should have kept him from Downing Street - somehow, the British public saw him as a charming rogue rather than a serial adulterer.

I’m not one to defend Liz Truss, but compared to Johnson, she was sexualised and mocked out of office in a particularly hypocritical manner. Her cabinet abandoned her immediately after the mini-budget they agreed to defend, egregiously breaking the ministerial code. The vicious internet response to her was funny, though on a scale we haven’t seen for her male counterparts. Countless articles about alleged inter-cabinet affairs had nothing to do with her insane policies. The British public relished the opportunity to remind women that failing upwards is a male-only thing.

Obviously I’m not saying we shouldn’t support women as candidates, but we cannot remain surprised that patriarchy means men, and many women, would rather Trump over a qualified woman. Isn’t continuing to be shocked by results like these a sign we need to change strategy?

“we can’t remain surprised that patriarchy means men, and many women, would rather Trump over qualified women”

This country seems to be veering further right with every election; he growing voice of Reform UK is buzzing behind Labour’s recent victory. US anti-abortion groups are investing in Britain, with the head of US group 40 Days for Life saying at a UK march after the overturning of Roe v Wade, “If we can do it, you can do it.” Trump celebrated Farage at one of his final rallies. The fact that the Conservatives have chosen a black woman as their leader doesn’t change the systemic effects of patriarchy.

It’s too late to be surprised by the UK leaning right. Unlike the left, who insist on tearing themselves apart every election, right-wing voters care far less about who they elect and more about what they are getting. To learn from the US election, we have to stop being shocked at the nature of our voters and start educating them, preferably more than three months before election day.