Hilary Rosen: Country Not ‘Ready For Full Equality for Women,’ Women Candidates Are Judged Differently

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “At This Hour,” CNN Political Commentator and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen argued there’s a “constant evaluation of women leadership in a way that there isn’t of men” and stated the US isn’t “ready for full equality for women” while discussing Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s comments in an interview with Vogue that talking to people “you get little hints that maybe they’re not as comfortable with a woman being in an executive position.”

Rosen said, “[I]f this country were ready for full equality for women, we would not have less than 10% of CEO seats and board seats and executive positions, and — I don’t — I wouldn’t make too much of this. I think she has consistently said, don’t vote for me because I’m a woman, vote for me because you think I’ll be the best president, but I think when you talk about the bigger picture, you kind of can’t help but wonder whether there is this kind of little bit of being judged differently. I don’t think that she’s feeling sorry for herself about that. I think she was just analyzing it.”

She added, “[A]s media analysts, as political pundits, there’s no question that you sit around a table, and you judge a candidate a little bit differently. Does — if Hillary Clinton is shouting, is that different? Does it come across different or harsher or more intense than if a [Democratic candidate Senator] Bernie Sanders (I-VT) or a Donald Trump is shouting. I mean, there’s just this constant evaluation of women leadership in a way that there isn’t of men. And, look, I think the same was true of Carly Fiorina. I don’t think this is a partisan issue. I just think it’s something we ought to acknowledge, and Hillary Clinton’s saying get over it, but for us to just pretend it doesn’t exist is silly.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett