The Force of Gender

Still, as Democratic pollster Geoff Garin notes, women have tended to stick with Clinton even as men have been swept away by Obama, suggesting that the difference may lie more in women's affinity for Clinton and interest in a female candidate. "It does not appear to be the case that Democratic men are particularly hostile to her," Garin said.

Clinton can legitimately complain about a double standard when it comes to sexism on the campaign trail. The exquisite sensitivity to perceived racial slights -- Joe Biden on the "clean" and "articulate" Obama -- has been missing on gender. "How do we beat the bitch?" one voter -- an elegantly dressed older woman, no less -- asked John McCain in South Carolina. He laughed, and there were no repercussions. Contrast that with McCain's immediate repudiation of a conservative talk show host who used Obama's middle name in introducing McCain.

But the most problematic part of the gender equation in this campaign has been more subtle -- and perhaps more ominous for a future female candidate not named Clinton. Watching Obama, I've been wondering whether the country, particularly the male half, can comfortably fit a woman into its mental picture of a president. Obama's success stems in large part from his ability to use rhetoric to inspire and persuade. The country has scant experience of a woman in that role.

"The image of charismatic leadership at the top has been and continues to be a man," said Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. "Barack Obama's appeal and charisma is uniquely his own, but it also fits with an age-old history of men who electrify followers. . . . We don't have an image, we don't have a historical memory of a woman who has achieved that feat."

That may not be coming anytime soon. Gender isn't the most restricting force in American life. It remains a force to be reckoned with.

marcusr@washpost.com