Women have been running for president since 1872, and for almost as long, people have been wondering what women need to do to break what Hillary Clinton has called the “highest and hardest glass ceiling” that remains in American culture.

Almost no one has asked what men need to do to fix the problem that this job has been off-limits to more than 50% of the talent pool for ages.

At the 2024 Democratic National Convention, that changed. Democratic men made decisions that were entirely new or extremely rare to support a female presidential candidate and serve the nation. This was unprecedented.

As a communications scholar who studies gender and political leadership, I have argued that the biggest obstacle to electing a woman president is not a lack of qualified candidates but a collective inability to recognize them as such. The fault lies not with the candidates but with American culture.

As it turned out, men in politics were also to blame.

Faced with competition from female presidential candidates, many men in the past have used their power and privilege in ways that undermine women’s candidacies. But the Democratic National Convention was different.

For the first time in history, the men of a major political party unanimously supported a female candidate, rather than strategically leveraging the stereotype that strong women are unlikable, as Barack Obama did against Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries.

They accepted the party’s overwhelming support for a female candidate rather than insisting on their claim to superdelegates, as Bernie Sanders did in 2016.

And they put their careers on hold to support their spouse’s candidacy rather than undermining it by offering support to challengers in the primary campaign, as Bob Dole did when Elizabeth Dole was fighting for the Republican Party nomination in 2000.

“Relinquishing male power”

Rhetorical choices reveal the underlying motivations of individuals and groups. The messages from Democratic men at the 2024 convention signaled that their party was finally ready to do something no major party had done before. Not only did they nominate a female candidate, but they also renounced male power and privilege.

Biden surprised everyone when he withdrew from the race, under pressure from falling poll numbers, skeptical donors and party leaders, and nervous lower-ballot candidates. But any resentment he may have felt did not translate into irritation or pettiness at the convention.

As the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe,” he instructed them, “Thank you, too, Kamala,” and promised to be “the best volunteer the Harris-Walz camp has ever seen.” He didn’t just give up his candidacy. He gave up his authority – to the people and the party, but also to Harris in particular.

Although Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sought the position of Harris’ running mate and may still have his own presidential ambitions, he did not use his time at the convention to promote the 2028 campaign. Instead, he took on the role traditionally reserved for women at party conventions: presenting the party’s message from the perspective of a parent whose primary concern is “kitchen table politics,” issues that most directly affect children and families.

The presidential candidate’s spouse’s speech at the convention has always been an opportunity for future first ladies to portray their husbands as the patriarchs of an ideal American family. In his speech, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff painted a picture of a “complicated” and “patchwork family” in which there is no patriarch but two active partners who are equally successful in their careers and committed to their families.

When Harris chose Tim Walz as her running mate, she bucked many pundits and bookmakers who thought Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was the best strategic choice. Walz’s performance at the convention was described by one news channel as a message from a “real Midwestern man” and an “antidote to toxic MAGA masculinity.” Even Ms. magazine praised it as a “populist, masculinity-themed address.”

But Walz did something that Americans are not used to seeing from “real men.” He made it clear that he could not only work with a woman, but also for her. And that everyone should do that.

After informing the crowd that the pick was in the metaphorical “fourth quarter,” the team was “down a field goal,” and the offense was “storming down the field,” Coach Walz clarified that, as in his days as a high school coach, he was the assistant coach. Their leader was Kamala Harris, and “Kamala Harris is tough. Kamala Harris is experienced. And Kamala Harris is ready.”

Satisfied second fiddle

To be clear, Harris’ early success as a presidential candidate is primarily due to her deft and adept response to a series of unprecedented events and the wise support of the black women who have long been the pillar of the Democratic Party.

But the men at the convention collectively decided to accept “their role as second fiddle,” as one Axios reporter described it, and treat Harris like a commander in chief. This shouldn’t be anything special. Women have been doing this for presidential candidates since… forever. But to see so many white men step down so enthusiastically for a woman of color was almost unbelievable.

Stepping back is not the same as walking away. This is important because the overarching message of the Convention was how to create an inclusive, democratic community. If you need to expand a circle and let more people in, step back. That doesn’t exclude you from the circle. It makes your circle bigger.

Attendees at the conference included gay fathers raising wayward toddlers, blended families who attend synagogue and church, football coaches who shoot pheasants and serve as advisors to the high school Gay-Straight Alliance Club, and presidents who give up power for the good of the country.

This includes a presidential candidate who is unlike any other president in US history. This is a huge step forward for the country.