Rose-Coloring Gender Diversity in the Obama Administration
June 25, 2009
by Judy Silver
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Isn’t The National Journal embarrassed to call this journalism? In conjunction with it’s Decision Makers issue, The National Journal has published “Obama’s Team: the Face of Diversity,” celebrating a rosy picture that – at least in the case of women — is contradicted by National Journal’s own data. In his article highlighting the results of a survey of 366 of “the President’s Decision Makers,” James A. Barnes confesses to discarding 49 data points, people who previously worked for Bush and are mostly “white guys”. Having thus distorted the data, Barnes concludes that Obama is a champion of diversity. He writes:
The new look of government is, in part, a generational story. From college campuses to corporate boardrooms to campaigns, society is increasingly tapping the professional talents of women and racial minorities. But the new look also embodies the commitment [to diversity] of the first nonwhite male to hold the nation’s highest elective office.
So according to Barnes, if we look back, we’ll find that the distorted percentage of women among President Obama’s “decision makers” is unprecedented in either previous generations or during the terms of previous presidents, right?
Uh, no. Here’s the new data combined with data from National Journal’s 2001 decision-makers issue:
The chart speaks for itself. Even with the data being manipulated, the administration of 2009 has no higher percentage of women than the administration of 1997. Barnes is reporting through change-colored glasses.
Barnes set the tone at the offset, beginning with happy-spin on old news, writing:
A mere glance around Barack Obama’s Cabinet table provides ample evidence of the president’s philosophy that diversity is an important element of good government. Fewer than half of the 22 officials designated by Obama as having Cabinet rank are white men — only nine in fact.
Yet another “mere glance,” at the photo accompanying the article shows why The New Agenda was disappointed with Obama’s cabinet: Women, at 31% of the cabinet, are not represented in proportion to our population.
Why does that matter? Well, one reason is something that The National Journal pointed out in its 2005 Decision Makers issue:
Women are twice as likely to hold top positions in a Cabinet department run by a woman as in one run by a man. On average, in the four departments with female secretaries, 45% of the top posts are held by women. In the 11 departments run by men, only 22 percent of the top positions are held by women.
I couldn’t find any mention of The National Journal repeating that analysis on the current administration. Maybe they did, but then threw out the data.
Without a women in the white house we will never make a dent in any administration. The only way women will get the respect in government is when one of us is in there. Women know about womens issues, men don’t.
The Progressives and African-American elite will continue to declare Obama to be a Feminist and a Fierce Advocate for Gay Rights. Meanwhile, his administration will do nothing for either group unless enough political pressure is applied.
The Iranian government condones and encourages the torturing and mutiliation of homosexuals. Mousavi wanted to abolish the pasdar who beat up and scream at women who do not have their hair properly covered or their socks right.
The under-representation of women in this administration is a national embarrassment.
But who is responsible? Women had a chance to choose a woman (Clinton) with almost identical policies to Obama’s and far more experience. But they didn’t. Instead, they chose a man who had made it clear by then that he is NOT a feminist, but in fact pretty old-fashioned in this respect.
Until women decide they want parity in government – and take it – and want a women’s agenda – and create and enact it – they are likely to remain second class citizens in the US.
I for one look to the New Agenda to be one of the key women’s organizations that will bring about a coalition of women who support women for a better and fairer society.
It’s high time we all worked to get a woman – of either party – to the highest office!
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