On the White House Council on Women and Girls

There appears to be a lot of discussion about President Obama's new Council on Women and Girls in the blogosphere. According to Politico, there's a lot angry women out there. Let me say first, I think this is an excellent first step in elevating women's issues into the national dialogue officially.

It seems there are two major issues the opposition has:

1) We don't need a council on women and girls. Lisa Belkin over at the NYTimes seems to be leading the charge on this.

2) That a White House council with no full time staff or deadline is not going far enough.

With both objections, I see the point. I dismiss Belkin's assertions that "too many of the problems women and girls have in the world stem from the fact that the problems are considered 'their' problems — 'women’s problems' — rather than problems that both genders share." This is simply untrue. There are many problems women face disproportionally including rape, domestic violence, poverty and more. Belkin goes on to say that materity leave, unequal pay and other issues are family problems. I couldn't disagree with her more. If I make less than my male counterpart with whom I share similar credentials, I'm not really sure how that becomes a family problem. I don't have any kids to support and I'm not married, yet I may still face discrimination. Women (mothers especially) are far more likely to face poverty than men. The vast majority of people living below the poverty level are women and their children and while that is a family issue, it is also a woman's issue. But I think most importantly, women are still crowded out of certain professions and crowded into others (mostly low-paying).

The second point, that this council doesn't go far enough, is true as well. If we are really hoping to eliminate the wage gap between men and women (of all races) and create a more equitable society we'll need more than a White House council. We'll need to educate the public and do our best to eliminate stastical discrimination amongst employers. But like so many issues with this new president we need to be a little patient. This is an important first step in examining those issues affecting women and girls. I hope very much the creation of this council is not just a symbolic gesture to reward women voters, but instead brings many voices to the table about how we can raise the next generation of girls in a more equitable society.