President Obama appointed two-thirds of his top aides as women when he took office; this probably may not be a shock to most of my readers. However, I was stunned when the women that work in the White House claimed they had to “elbow their way into important meetings.” Even though they were in said meetings, their voices were still a whisper among the other idea-splurging minds. Of course, it is no secret that women have to claw their way up the ladder of success—still waiting on equal pay—and for that matter, black women and men. So, how did these women grasp the room’s attention once and for all? Answer: Amplification.
This strategy has been surprisingly effective. “When a woman made a key point, other women would repeat it, giving credit to its author. This forced men in the room to recognize the contribution—and denied them the chance to claim the idea as their own.”
The former aides of Obama dubbed this as the new go-to method of conversing during meetings, and the Obama administration began calling on women more frequently. For decades, women have struggled to figure out how to pass obstacles of arduous, long hours and a lack of access to bosses. By the way, this is coming from women of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. In the West Wing, men have had a lock on the Oval Office more than 200 years.
The White House is unlike any other workplace. Presidents have been statistically shown to select their senior advisors from the male-dominated ranks of their campaigns. The only women working in the West Wing were secretaries prior to Eisenhower. Women were even barred from dining with men in the White House mess.
Ann Wexler served as the public outreach assistant for Jimmy Carter, and complained that Hamilton Jordan (Chief of Staff) never invited her to a key daily meeting. Bonnie Newman didn’t get her big break in the Reagan Administration until 1981, but Bill Clinton began to redefine a woman’s place in the White House when several women gained great influence over important issues. Obama’s early administration looked much different from the one he had from 2012. His cabinet is equally divided amongst men, and some of the highest departments, including the National Security Council.
The White House has clearly tried to offer an apology to women by improving conditions for working mothers on the staff. But, there are still some apparent changes that need to be made in terms of allowing more women to get their foot in the door—that goes for any job! The full article discussing more about this topic can be found here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2...
