Here’s What Could Happen If Half The President’s Cabinet Are Women
Whether you are for or against Hillary Clinton, it cannot be forgotten how incredible it is to have a woman have make it this far.
It is impossible not to acknowledge what this could potentially mean for women around the world. Instead of focusing on Hillary herself as a potential future POTUS, why not also consider how we can duplicate and triple her journey – how can we help support more women to get this far?
One way may be through simply helping more women get into positions of power – say through the President’s Cabinet? According to The New York Times Reporter Patrick Healy, within her first 100 days Hillary Clinton would push to fill half her cabinet with women, “bringing a new tone and collaborative sensibility to Washington.”
If accomplished Hillary would reach the likes of Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who was the first to give Canada a gender-equal Cabinet. And while the Prime Minister pointed out, “it’s 2015” – even now in 2016, the United States possesses no history of gender equality in the President’s Cabinet, making the idea itself a truly historical one.
According to Vox, Frances Perkins became the first female Cabinet member as the secretary of labor under Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933, yet since then, there have only 29 female Cabinet secretaries to serve.
Organizations such as CAMP (Center for American Women and Politics) keep track of how many women have served as both Cabinet secretaries and other Cabinet-level positions. Currently there are 16 Cabinet positions and seven Cabinet-level positions.
Each Presidency has been different, with percentage of women in the cabinet ranging anywhere from 19 to 41 percent. In President Obama’s second term his cabinet was filled with 35 percent women, eight out of 23 positions.
Regardless of political views, a higher percentage of women in the Cabinet will provide further representation both in government and positions in power. The gender parity can’t guarantee concrete changes in policy however research does indicate that women typically focus on policies that specifically impact women. Plus as we’ve read, the fastest way to get more women on boards is to simply hire a female CEO. Women who are in power will put other women in power.
However in addition to the Cabinet Hillary Clinton plans to promote and focus on gender equality throughout the White House in numerous ways. For one she plans on doing away with finishing business over sports like golf; a popular way men have created and instilled a strict business network among themselves.
What’s clear is the positive impact Hillary’s run has had for women everywhere, not to mention encourage more women to team up together.
