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Gender and the Presidency: A Look Through Polling History

In 2015, an NBC/WSJ poll showed that a combined 85 percent said they would be either enthusiastic (30 percent) or comfortable (55 percent) with a woman in the White House. Both men and women reported equal overall positive impressions of a woman as commander-in-chief, and more than three-quarters of seniors and socially conservative voters signed off on the idea.

As long ago as fifteen years prior, an overwhelming 87 percent of voters said they would have no qualms voting for a qualified female nominee of their own party, according to a June 2000 NBC/WSJ poll. A combined 13 percent said they either wouldn't vote for her (seven percent) or weren't sure or said it would depend on other factors (six percent).

But a few decades earlier, the acceptability of a female candidate was more controversial.

According to Gallup's polling of the issue, in 1975, 73 percent of voters said they would support a female nominee of their own party, compared to almost a quarter - 23 percent - who said they would not.

In 1969, it was 53 percent to 40 percent.

And in 1945, those who said they would NOT vote for a female candidate outnumbered those who said they would, 55 percent to 33 percent.

Read entire article at NBC News