President Joe Biden on Monday created a brand new White House council to advise him on “gender policy” and ensure that “every domestic and foreign policy we pursue rests on a foundation of dignity and equity for women.”
The responsibilities of the gender policy council include:
- Promoting equality through diplomacy, trade, and defense
- Combating systemic bias and discrimination
- Boosting economic security for women and minority groups
- Increasing access to healthcare for women and minority groups
- Improving educational opportunities for women and minority group
- Addressing barriers to women’s participation in the workforce
- Decreasing wage gaps
- Supporting care workers
“In our nation, as in all nations, women have fought for justice, shattered barriers, built and sustained economies, carried communities through times of crisis, and served with dignity and resolve,” said Biden on International Women’s Day. “Too often, they have done so while being denied the freedom, full participation, and equal opportunity all women are due.”
“Today, the global crises we now face have made abundantly clear both the contributions of women and the challenges facing women,” added Vice President Kamala Harris. “If we build a world that works for women, our nations will all be safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
The four-member Gender Policy Council is a reimagining of the Obama-era White House Council on Women and Girls.
The Trump Administration disbanded it. Now, the council’s name has been changed to make it more inclusive.
“We are very inclusive in our definition of gender,” said council co-chair Jennifer Klein (pictured above). “We intend to address all sorts of discrimination and fight for equal rights for people, whether that’s LGBTQ+ people, women, girls, men.”
One member of the council will focus specifically on women and girls of color. This group, claims Klein, has faced disproportionate job losses and other challenges during the pandemic.
Klein’s co-chair is Julissa Reynoso, a Clinton ally who serves as first lady Jill Biden’s chief of staff.
President Biden has also directed the Department of Education to take a close look at Title IX and the related changes made during the previous administration. This includes a policy regarding sexual misconduct occurring on college campuses.
We can expect the Biden White House to reverse a key Trump-era policy that required transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their biological sex.
Biden Orders Creation of Gender Policy Council
Joe Biden Establishes a Gender Policy Council Within the White House
Biden establishes Gender Policy Council with goal of advancing equality