Women balk at supporting female candidates

Seems that women set higher standards for female candidates than they do for their male counterparts. Do they think that badly of men?

Exerpt from Capitol Hill Blue:

But women running for office face an unusual political conundrum: Women sometimes set exceedingly high standards for female candidates.

It's in part because some expect the first female president to be a reflection of them, only better, said Marie Wilson, president of the White House Project, a group that aims to encourage women to lead in business and politics.

"We look at them and we say 'We want them to be perfect. ...' We hold them to a higher standard because they do represent us," she said. "Most of the male candidates running wouldn't be running if they were women. A woman John McCain's age would have a hard time, a woman with Barack Obama's experience would have a hard time."

As a result, female candidates are more scrutinized, an extension of gender-specific criticism still part of American culture, experts say.