We’ve gained influence, power and positions in 2008, and there is potential for the results to have more than symbolic impact on women around the world. But to what extent have American women finally earned their seat at the table?
Women—highly qualified, accomplished, credentialed women—have been headlining the news in the last few weeks, as elected officials with executive management and legislative experience will be likely to fill key Cabinet roles in President-elect Barack Obama’s new administration. New York Senator Hillary Clinton is the probable new secretary of state; Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano is a strong mention for secretary of homeland security. Academic heft and policy expertise were central to Obama’s hiring decisions for a stellar economic team, as he announced today the appointments of Professor Christina Romer of Berkeley as chair of his Council of Economic Advisers, Melody Barnes as director of his White House Domestic Policy Council and Heather Higginbottom as her deputy.
Already hired in other prominent roles are Valerie Jarrett as an administration senior adviser and Executive Director of EMILY’s List Ellen Moran as Communications Director for the White House. A few names—anywhere from around nine to 11 or more—are mentioned as still in contention for senior management roles in the Obama administration. If you check a NYTimes.com graphic, out of 48 possible candidates competing for leadership jobs, only nine of those candidates are women; that would represent less than 20% viability in the total pool for a marquee job in the executive branch.
Yes, women were elected in record numbers in the 2008 elections, although more female candidates (12) ran for Senate in 2006. The state of the economy, fundraising clout and organizational competence all favored the Democratic brand. But according to The Center for Women in Politics at Rutgers University, despite current data showing that women account for 57% of the US population, they hold less than 25% of all elected positions. So, we’ve certainly made advances with government and political jobs secured by smart women, but there are obvious disparities in the numbers. Would authors Malcolm Gladwell—The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers—not to mention Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner who co-wrote the best-seller Freakonomics, like to take an analytical whack at this one? I’m not sure I’d agree completely, however, with their explanations as there are no simple or single answers historically.
Added to this are other startling statistics reported by Reuters. The World Economic Forum, a Swiss research organization, delivered its 2008 Global Gender Gap report on November 12th and ranked Norway, Finland and Sweden as having the most equality of the sexes. The report’s good news was that girls and women were nearly equal, in general, with male peers in literacy, access to education and health and survival globally. The more-than-disappointing news? There is a very wide gap between women and men when it comes to economics and politics, and that includes the pathway to executive government and corporate positions. We are still not the decision-makers overall as far as the numbers reflect.
Where is the US on this list? We rank 27th, behind Germany (11th), Britain (13th) and France (15th) and, if you can believe, Cuba (25th.)
A core piece of my business plan in 2009 will be to renew focus on women clients aiming for top corporate roles. I am currently preparing both women and men senior executive clients for a seat at the table. But for women, the numbers must rise dramatically. More Board Director and CEO mentors should be in place internally. Executive coaching and the subset of personal branding can speed the process externally.
Comments