Kamala Harris could make history as America's first woman president: What do women think about it?

We're days away from what could be a historic election, in a highly unusual campaign season. 

America could get its first female president in Kamala Harris, a late entrant to the race. But unlike in 2016, when Hillary Clinton was the Democratic nominee for the job, gender has not been a major talking point throughout the campaign. That seems to be intentional by Harris, who chooses to focus on policy over her identity.

But what do women voters think about the possibility of having the first-ever female president, and where does it fall on their list of priorities? 

The gender split at the polls is wide: Harris leads Donald Trump among women by 54% to 42%, while Trump leads Harris among men, 55% percent to 41%, according to The New York Times/Siena College Poll between Oct. 20 to 23.

CNBC Make It spoke with women across the U.S. about the issues influencing their vote. We spoke to students, mid-career professionals, executives and small-business owners who identify as Democrats, Republicans and Independents. 

Some of the women we talked to still feel scarred by getting their hopes up for a Clinton win in 2016, and feel less excited and more jaded about seeing a woman on the ballot again. 

Others said that, regardless of the outcome, this election represents progress by helping to normalize the idea of a woman as U.S. president.

Here's a snapshot of what women think about having a female candidate at the top of the ballot for just the second time in history:

Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Emma Bogdan, 18, full-time student at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York

It's comforting to see another woman on the presidential ballot. In 2016, when Hillary was the nominee, it felt like this major, crazy shock. But now, it almost feels normal to me. 

I haven't decided who I'm voting for but gender hasn't influenced what I'm thinking at all. It just comes down to each candidate's policies and who might be the better leader for our country. 

I do think that seeing a woman on the ballot will, hopefully, encourage more women to vote, even if they don't vote for Harris. It's a great change that's been needed for so long. 

But I think it's going to be a major adjustment for everybody in the U.S. no matter who wins the election. 

Annie Lazan, 24, human resources assistant in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

In 2016, I really was so confident that we would elect our first woman president. I remember going to the polls with my mom and older sister, and being so proud to watch them cast their vote for [Hillary] Clinton, and we all woke up shocked when she lost to Trump. 

I'll be voting for Harris, and I hope that one day, I can tell my children that I played a role in electing our first woman president. But I'm not just voting for her because of her gender, I think she's truly qualified for the job. I mean, her track record is phenomenal. 

I know politics are complicated, and I don't think it's fair to expect her to be some kind of savior and fix all of the problems in the U.S. But I've appreciated a lot of the promises she's made during the campaign, and whether or not she makes good on them, it feels like a step in the right direction for our country. 

Bushra Amiwala, 26, member of the Skokie School District Board of Education, Chicago, Illinois

In 2016, it seemed beyond overdue that we would have our first woman president in the U.S., and it garnered so much momentum and excitement. But I think today, seeing a woman on the ballot simply isn't enough. It doesn't feel as exciting or charming. 

Sometimes I wonder if we are being lenient and not pressing Harris as hard on certain issues, just because people want to see a woman in office. 

I probably will be voting for Vice President Harris, but I have conflicted feelings about it. On the one hand, she's been part of the same administration that's been involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and as a Muslim American, that's an important issue to me. 

I know a lot of people who live in non-swing states who are choosing to vote third party for this purpose of making a statement that candidates need to earn their vote, and they're not impressed with Harris' approach to a lot of issues. 

We're not just going to applaud because this is a candidate that looks like us, that's beyond the minimum at this point. 

Sydney Van Dyke, 27, library worker in Overland Park, Kansas

My first election that I was able to vote in was the 2016 election with Clinton versus Trump. At the time, I thought it was going to be a landslide, like 'We're about to have our first woman president.'

I was a little more excited back then, because I had a certain faith in humanity that I don't really have anymore. And so I'm excited, on the one hand, because we have a woman candidate again, and she is a person of color this time. And I think that's a step in the right direction, but it's just worrisome to me who she's up against. I feel like a lot of the novelty of a woman running for president ran out after the 2016 election, which is crazy.

It just kind of feels like I have show up and do this because the world might end. I'm being dramatic, but that's how it feels. A second Trump presidency sounds like it would just be a bad thing for everyone.

Lauren Simmons, 30, author of "Make Money Move" in Los Angeles

It always feels significant seeing a woman on the ballot. I was really excited seeing all the women candidates going through the presidential nomination, Republican and Democrat. I was excited for Nikki Haley. When there are more women in the pool and more conversations that represent women and the issues that we go through, and holding a seat at the highest power in the world – it's just a beautiful experience.

I think we have been ready for a woman president. The numbers show back in 2016 we were ready. Hillary won the popular vote. That momentum hasn't been lost. I am cautiously optimistic. Not because I'm not ready for there to be a female president, but because no one wants to go through that heartbreak a second time. 

Signe Espinoza, 31, executive director at Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Abortion is top of mind for me heading into this election. I want to ensure that all women have full access to sexual, reproductive health care in this country. It's been really special and powerful to see Kamala Harris prioritize this issue during her role as vice president and throughout her campaign. 

I'm looking forward to seeing Harris win. I never thought I'd see a woman of color, someone who looks like me, on the presidential ticket in my lifetime. 

Women know how to get things done. I think she brings incredible lived experience and perspective that our country needs in this moment to move forward.

Brianna Doe, 31, founder of Verbatim, a marketing agency, in Phoenix

One of the candidates being a woman is not the reason why I'm voting for her, but her way of approaching women's health and bodily autonomy does play a huge role. For lack of a better term, I'm scared about what the future holds for myself and for my future children if I have children.

I think a significant portion of the U.S. is ready for a woman president. I also think there's a significant portion of the U.S. that is not ready, and I will say that one thing that scares me if she gets elected — the backlash. I don't think everybody in the U.S. will ever be ready for a woman president, but I don't think everybody in the U.S. was ready for a Black president either.

Sami Sage, 35, co-founder of Betches Media in New York City

The future of our free democracy is my biggest concern. I would like to be able to have another free and fair election and have them for the rest of my life.

It is impossible to separate the candidates' genders from who they are and the standards they've been held to. It's not the deciding factor — I wouldn't vote for every woman or not vote for every man. In this case, the candidates' genders have shaped who they are in a particular way that has led to the behaviors and morals that I do and don't align with.

Sess Lee, 37, hair salon owner in Arlington, Texas

It's emotional just to be alive during a time where a woman is even on the ballot. We've come so far. 

I'm planning to vote for Kamala. What I respect about her is that she not only has an impressive resume working in law and politics, but she has a blended family. She decided not to have children of her own and makes no apologies for it. Hearing her speak about her ambition and the unfair expectations placed on women has empowered so many women of different colors, of different cultures. 

Even if Kamala wins, I don't think everybody in the U.S. is ready for a woman president, just like they weren't ready for a Black president. She's been getting torn apart ten times worse than Trump on this campaign. But I think Kamala can handle the heat, and overall, I'm excited to see what she accomplishes as president if she wins. 

Ariel Washington, 39, works in health-care consulting in Lincoln, Nebraska

I don't know if my gender does factor into my vote. It's wonderful to be able to vote for a woman, but I am most concerned with the policies that the person has.

It is exciting to see somebody just younger in the office. It is exciting to see a woman running for office that could actually win it. 

That's not why I'm voting for her. It is truly the policies that she says that she stands for, and I don't agree with her on everything.

The bar is higher for her. Things that are fine for the other candidate to do are not fine for her. The attacks have been particularly sexist in nature. It is different. And so for her to be able to still be the nominee and still be polling where she's polling, and this be a close race, does definitely feel significant. She had to be that much better and on a shorter timeline than normal for a presidential campaign to get where she is. So I think that's a big deal.

Nadia Rahman, 39, digital communications consultant and political organizer in San Francisco

I have decided that I am not voting for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

My number one issue is the genocide in Gaza and the U.S.'s role it being complicit in it.

I am Muslim American. I am also Pakistani American. I'm not Palestinian myself, but I'm an ally to the Palestinian community. Not only is it the moral question of the genocide in Gaza and the Biden-Harris administration's role in it, but … the way it's being portrayed in the media here has skyrocketed the level of anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.

The only thing that could change my mind would be going beyond the empty calls for a ceasefire, like actually securing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza before the election, and putting an arms embargo on Israel to stop the murder.

Adriane Schwager, 41, CEO of GrowthAssistant, a hiring platform, in St. Louis, Missouri

I think we have a fundamental issue of the rights around women's bodies being part of the government, and while that is a political issue, I believe there will always be an unfair power dynamic of having control over one gender's bodies but not another. In that way, how can you actually really be equal?

I'd love for a woman to be elected U.S. president in my lifetime and in my child's lifetime for younger generations of America to see that actually more than one gender can sit in that office. The impressions that are made now really play to the voting decisions of the future, too.

Meghan O'Connor, 45, resource specialist for a fundraising organization in Kansas City, Missouri

I've got several transgender members of my family, and there's been a lot of hype and fear-mongering around transgender people during this election. So it's very important to me to have a candidate who will keep my family safe and allow them the rights to be a human and have access to appropriate medical care.

The fact that we have so many young women going out to register to vote is important, and I think that is going to make a difference in the polls and in the numbers we have voting for Harris. I think Harris is just bringing a lot of new people into the process who haven't necessarily felt included before.

Jill Homan, 49, finance executive in Archer Lodge, North Carolina

The main question I'm asking myself heading into this election is: Are we better off today than we were four years ago? 

For me, that answer is no. I was better off in a Trump administration. The most important issues to me, as a voter, are the economy and immigration, and I just think Trump is the better candidate to address those issues. 

People are feeling the strain of this economy, and I think people are also feeling the strain under Harris' lack of leadership as vice president. I think Americans and myself want to change course and put us in a better direction. 

As a member of the LGBTQ community, too, I do believe Trump is a terrific ally and has been a strong supporter on issues in that space; I know people disagree. 

As a woman and a mother, I'm a fierce defender of maintaining Title IX, and I think Trump is a strong ally on that issue as well. 

What you'll find with Republicans is that we're not leading with the color of our skin or our gender or sexual identity. That's not how we identify. We identify first as Americans. So I'm supporting Trump because of his policies, and his plan to make our country stronger. 

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, 55, founder and president of Ajenda, a women's health company, in New York City

I just sent in my ballot for Harris, and I wasn't totally happy about it.

I'm what I call a financial conservative and a social moderate or liberal. On the issues, I come down as a centrist, which is why I'm now a registered Independent.

I've found it really hard to tease out differences between the individual and the party. With Harris, I like the individual, but I don't like a lot of what the party is standing for today. And I can say with Trump, I don't like the individual and don't like a lot of what the party is standing for today, but there are things that I do support.

As a physician and as a women's health specialist, I'm incredibly concerned with the jeopardy and the effect on women's lives and men's lives as a result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I think that it puts everyone, not just women, in a very precarious health situation. 

It really comes down to who's leading the parties at any given time. To me, what's really needed now more than ever is a leader who is an incredible communicator. 

Going back to the pandemic, which I covered extensively as the chief medical correspondent for ABC News, we saw the pitfalls of poor communication, and I think that that was part of the impetus for the endemic of misinformation and disinformation that we're seeing right now, whether it's in health or politics. 

Sallie Krawcheck, 59, CEO and founder of Ellevest in New York City

The most important issues to me in this election are any and all issues that affect women and their families, and that help them financially. So that is not just about which candidate can drive a stronger economy, but also very much about women's reproductive rights and paid family leave. 

Instead of asking 'Is the U.S ready for a woman president?' maybe the better question is if the U.S. will be better off with a woman president and the different perspective she would bring? I believe so.

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