This Tuesday’s release of Political Prize-winning author Ron Suskind’s new book, Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President, prompted a great deal of conversation around women’s working role in politics and government. Providing examples of hostile working conditions for women, Suskind describes the “boys’ club” atmosphere surrounding the Obama White House. This book highlights more than 200 interviews with individuals from inside and outside the administration, detailing specific instances in which female aides were unhappy with the exclusion they experienced in meetings and important decisions.
Although the reception of Confidence Men has been extremely controversial due to claims of misquotation, I think that this topic is particularly important to discuss. While working this summer as a Hill intern, I was told several times that women are treated differently Washington. When I was training to give Capitol tours, I learned of a room that is reserved just for Congresswomen, the Lindy Boggs Reading Room. I also attended a seminar at the Capitol Hill Club detailing women’s role in leading political organizations on college campuses. Both of these examples taught me that women in this
environment could be treated with reverence and respect, rather than poorly.
Most importantly, I worked in an office with a female Representative, chief of staff, scheduler, press secretary, and staff assistant, which is a combination of the two highest ranking positions, two middle ranking positions, as well as the lowest. The Congresswoman in my office is a breast cancer survivor, and even co-chairs the House
Cancer Caucus, advocating for women’s issues at a very high level. Working with one other male intern, I never found gender to be a distinguishing factor in the type of work we were given, except only in picking up heavier packages or doing heavy lifting in our storage space (no complaining there.) This may have been a different experience than those who worked in say, John Boehner’s office, but this exposure definitely opened my
eyes to the influence and capacity that women can have in the workplace.
I think that this conversation can definitely apply to a multitude of different careers and workplaces. Although it’s important to keep in mind the elements of professionalism that concern women specifically, such as appropriate dress, interaction with male colleagues, and sharing of personal life, I don’t think that gender should provide any setbacks for a woman striving to reach her professional goals. Yes, government and politics, as well as other fields, like science, finance, and medicine, are often dominated by men; however, we should not let the numbers get in our way of working hard in our positions and aspiring to higher roles. There are a number of women who prove this point today, such as politicians like Michele Bachmann, Hillary Clinton, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and Brazilian President, Dilma Rouseff, to the first ever woman chief of a top 20 U.S. bank, Beth E. Mooney. Clearly these women did not get ahead by giving into the setback mentality of women in the working world.
To read more about what individuals and the media are saying about Suskind’s recent book, check out this link and this other link.