Alpha Females

Helping women make the most of their leadership qualities.

Gabriela Cora, MD, MBA is a corporate consultant at the Executive Health & Wealth Institute and a psychiatrist at the Florida Neuroscience Center. She is author of Leading under Pressure. See full bio

November 13, 2008, Gender

Are Women Scapegoated More than Men?

Sarah Palin is on the front of the New York Times today, "looking ahead" to the left, go figure. Even after the Republican defeat, the media continues to be fascinated by this strong lady. There is a new president elect, the markets collapsed, home financing is in chaos, why is she still in the news? Sarah Palin continues to dodge balls: "Do you think you were the cause for the loss? Did you spend all this money in clothes and make-up? Are you ready to run for president in 2012?"

President elect Obama will be untouchable by the media for a while. Comedians won't poke fun at him while they have loved making fun of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Nobody criticized President Bush right after he was elected or after 9/11 either. Is Sarah Palin an easy target?

The consensus is to "protect" president-elect Obama while he leads the country to recover from financial disaster. McCain handles his interviews with seriousness or even humor while Palin handles them with emotion, strong political views and small jabs. Is this emotional charge coming from her or from her interviewer? How about both? Larry King showed little emotion while he interviewed her yesterday. The interview was not a conversation.

Food for Thought: Do you feel all campaign interviews were conducted in an objective way with both male and female candidates? Do you feel both men and women use emotion when confronted? If so, what's the difference? Is there a double standard for men and women as they compete for high positions in politics, Corporate America, the military or in the workplace? Do you believe fallen strong women tend to be scapegoated more than men?