Girl Up Club president, junior Abby Moeljo, understands that the media can affect an election by influencing how voters perceive the candidates.

“Obviously, news sources tend to sway people’s voting,” she said. “There are Republican and Democratic news [outlets] that can also sway people on how they view things. It’s interesting to see the perspective that people [have about] the clips that they take of Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump.”

Moeljo shares her beliefs on how varying factors, such as age and community, affect gender bias and is curious to see gender bias’ impact in the upcoming election and how it will compare to previous elections with similar circumstances, such as the 2016 election, where the candidates were also a man and woman running against each other — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

“I think [gender bias] depends on the community and age because older people tend to see a woman president as not as serious,” she said. “They might not be able to do things in the way a man would, which can definitely affect people’s bias a lot, especially if the two candidates [identify as] different genders.”

Through her club, Moeljo promotes feminism through hands-on activities and spreading information about women in novels, movies, and their impact on the environment. Despite her efforts to combat it, Moeljo believes that gender bias is an issue that will be prevalent for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t think gender bias is going to go away for a long time, [and] I would say the most people can do is have an open mind and be open to hearing about different perspectives,” she said. “[People shouldn’t] think, ‘This person’s a woman — that’s why they’re saying that. This person’s a man — that’s why they’re saying that.’ I think everything should just be, ‘They’re saying this, and it is their opinion.’”