Talking about sexism on the campaign trail can also be seen as leveraging gender for political gain. Or, as Donald Trump said in the 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton, it can seem like wielding the “woman card.”

“That claim of ‘are they trying to get sympathy on the basis of gender?’ has certainly been weighed against women,” said Kelly Dittmar, researcher at the Center for American Women and Politics and author of “Navigating Gendered Terrain: Stereotypes and Strategy in Political Campaigns.”

So female candidates have historically tried not to discuss the big taboo. They have been told to stay quiet about the troubles they face and shed signs of their femininity in an attempt to prove that they are “man enough” to hold the highest office in the land, Dittmar said.

We saw that in the Hillary Clinton campaign 1.0 back in 2008, when she repeatedly pointed out that she wasn’t running “as a woman” but as “the best qualified and experienced person.”

“Throughout the campaign, many of the qualifications and experiences she emphasized were those typically expected of executive men,” Dittmar wrote in her book. “She portrayed herself as a fighter, donning boxing gloves and being credited with having testicular fortitude.”

Eight years on, in 2016, Clinton’s messaging changed, Dittmar noted over the phone. “She was more willing to talk about gender as an electoral asset.”

That strategy, which may have helped Clinton win the popular vote, has since influenced the campaign strategies of women running for office in 2018 and 2020, Dittmar added. “I would credit her in switching the paradigm a little bit to say that ‘my perspective as a woman is different and that difference brings with it substantive implications.’”