Looking Past Gender

Sarah Palin has been a topic of much discussion lately, not only on the news and in our class, but also in my Women's Studies class. It was in this class that I started to have worries about a woman candidate for the first time. I have always been an advocate of equal rights. My fear however is that rather than listening to what Palin has to say regarding her abilities and qualifications, many women will be on her side simply because she is a woman. Also, Palin has a very likable personality. We discussed in class how she seems to be the type of person you could easily have a conversation with, and her attitude puts those that watch her on T.V. in a good mood. But will people, especially women, be able to look past the fact that she brings a (much needed) spunk to the Republican party and start to see her for her policies and her ideals, not just her gender?