I agree with Geena Davis, Hollywood's Madame President. Davis, who plays a female American president in this season's smash hit Commander in Chief, said it is about time we had a few female presidents.

Conventions aside, Commander in Chief is a success in its first season, averaging 16.5 million viewers per episode, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Now in its seventh season, its male counterpart, The West Wing, averages only 8.1 million viewers. It's been confirmed that a woman can be president, in Hollywood at least.

People want to watch a woman take on the role of president. But do they really support the idea?

There's been a lot of progress in the past 20 years in voters' perceptions on whether or not a woman can do the job. But there is still an indigenous nervousness and hesitance on the part of the voters to actually put women as the ultimate decision-maker.

Gender should not be an issue when we evaluate who is going to be the leader of our country. It is crucial for voters to get over the gender issue and vote for the candidate based on credentials and ability.

Within our own government, women hold only 16 percent of the nation's governorships, 15 percent of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 14 percent of those in the U.S. Senate.

The 16 percent of female governors need to feel that they too are bona fide presidential prospects just like every male governor.

Women should not have to worry about their gender playing an issue in their election. Instead, the issue should be the content of their campaign, just as it is with male candidates.

Launching a military rescue operation, putting together a $1 trillion budget ... making eggs for the kids? Not your typical job description for the president of the United States.

TV portrayals of women in positions of power help frame public opinion. Hollywood is essentially creating a mental picture for us.

Commander in Chief President Mackenzie Allen manages to juggle her White House duties while taking care of teenage twins and a 6-year-old daughter.

She also has to deal with her husband, who's uncertain of his outlandish role of "First Gentleman." Allen proves a reality almost too good to be true: You can be a loving mother and wife, a decisive, tough, non-partisan president. Almost 17 million viewers can't stop watching. Let's face it: We're hooked.

But the grim reality of society is that a lot of people have the inconceivable notion that men should be in charge.

Our president is the world's dominant military leader, a position for which many think women are not qualified.

But most of the recent presidents don't even have battlefield experience, so their female counterparts really aren't lacking anything in terms of military service.

Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright have shown they are tough enough. They have been huge players in changing the perception of what women can do in government.

The problem, better phrased as the "ongoing question," is that if women comprise half of the U.S. population, why aren't they better represented in government? The answer: It is up to you, the voters.

Women have held top jobs in other countries: Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister of Great Britain, Indira Gandhi served as Prime Minister of India and Golda Meir served as Prime Minister of Israel.

Just recently in Germany, conservative leader Angela Merkel became the first female chancellor.

In our democracy, it is the voters who will ultimately put a woman in office. To successfully evaluate the presidential candidates we cannot factor gender into the equation. We have to get rid of the social stigma that women cannot do the job and achieve the same degree of success as a man. A woman can and will fill the shoes of a U.S. president. It's only a matter of time before the Oval Office gets a makeover and a woman is elected president.

Just as we've seen Davis do, we need to break the barrier and a woman needs to be seriously considered for the position, gender aside.