Women's Rights

More Than A Symbol: White House Council on Women & Girls

by Jen Nedeau

category: Government And Policy

Published March 11, 2009 @ 12:53PM PT

President Obama signed an executive order today to create a White House Council on Women and Girls. The Council will be chaired by Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, and will include as members cabinet-level federal agencies. The Executive Director of the Council will be Tina Tchen, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Liaison at the White House.

Obama issued the following statement regarding the creation of this Council:

"The purpose of this Council is to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy," said President Obama. "My Administration has already made important progress toward that goal. I am proud that the first bill I signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. But I want to be clear that issues like equal pay, family leave, child care and others are not just women's issues, they are family issues and economic issues. Our progress in these areas is an important measure of whether we are truly fulfilling the promise of our democracy for all our people. I am confident that Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen will guide the Council wisely as its members address these important issues."

The White House Council on Women and Girls stemmed from efforts by a large number of women's groups such as WomenCount who asked the President to set up a Cabinet-level division to focus on women. Well done to those groups who successfully maneuvered this opportunity! My only hope is that the Council become more than a "symbolic move" as reported by Chris Cillizza on The Fix:

Obama and his team know that if he can maintain his 2008 margin among women in his reelection race in three years time, he will be sitting pretty. Expect then more symbolic moves like the establishment of the Council to demonstrate Obama's commitment to women and women's issues.

Hmm. I certainly hope the Council is more than just a tool to get Obama re-elected. Or a symbol without any real political capital. After all, women didn't earn the right to vote to just sit around and look pretty, now did they?

Personally, I would like to see the Council be able to address issues such as:

• Reverse the HPV vaccine requirement for immigrant women.

• Confirm more female federal judges to the bench (particularly with SCOTUS if we lose Ruth Bader Ginsberg).

• Fight the battle over women's access to contraception and abortion, which are often too close to being jeopardized as written about by Jessica Arons this week.

• Push for the passage of the Global Democracy Promotion Act within Congress to defuse the Global Gag Rule from being used as a political football in future administrations.

This decision comes at the heels of an announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to nominate a new post of ambassador-at-large for global women's issues. It has been reported that Obama intends to nominate Melanne Verveer, CEO of an international nonprofit, to the job. For the most part, I think that all of these movements are VERY positive and indicate that there will be a greater consideration for women within the White House.

But, what about you? How do you see the Council being put to use? What are the agenda items you have? What are your questions for the White House?