White House Council on Women and Girls explained

Council on Women and Girls
Type:	Council
Formed:	March 11, 2009
Dissolved:	2017
Preceding1:	White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach (1995–2001)
Headquarters:	White House
Employees:	10
Chief1 Position:	Chair
Chief2 Position:	Executive Director
Parent Agency:	Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Website:	[<!-- Trump administration took this off of the White House website in early 2017 http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/cwg/ Preserved in archival form at-->https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/cwg The White House Council on Women and Girls]

The White House Council on Women and Girls was an advisory council within the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It was established by on March 11, 2009, with a broad mandate to advise the president on issues relating to the welfare of women and girls in order to ensure gender equality.^[1] It also ensured that other White House agencies acted in a manner to allow all things to be possible for all people.^[2] The Council was chaired by Valerie Jarrett^[3] and included the heads of every federal agency and major White House office.

The Council was not convened during the Trump administration and was disbanded in 2017. A successor body, the White House Gender Policy Council, was formed under the Biden administration on January 20, 2021.

Formation

President Barack Obama created the council in March 2009, effectively recreating the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach (1995–2001). This earlier office had acted as a liaison with women's groups, but had been disliked by conservatives.^[4]

In his, signed on March 11, 2009, Obama stated:

The executive order lists progress in eliminating barriers to success for women, including record attendance of women at colleges and graduate schools, record numbers of female corporate executives and business owners, and a record number of women in all areas of government.

The executive order then lists areas where inequalities remained. It stated that the average American woman earns "78 cents for every dollar men make" and that women are not significantly represented in careers involving hard sciences. The executive order additionally stated that "too many women lack health insurance [... and that] violence against women and girls remains a global epidemic". It noted the challenges in guaranteeing equal opportunities in education for girls and women, and that and women had disproportionately suffered from the 2007 financial crisis.

The executive order also stated that the issues that affect women are not solely the concerns of women:

The Department of Commerce provided funding and administrative support for the Council.

Mission

The Council on Women and Girls was intended to work with federal executive departments and agencies "to provide a coordinated Federal response to issues that have an impact on the lives of women and girls",^{[5] [6]} including providing assistance to women-owned businesses and to help women enter professions in science, engineering and technology.

The Council was to advise the president on the effects of pending legislation and policy proposals, and to suggest changes and help develop new legislation and proposals to address issues for women and girls.

Accomplishments

The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault was a development of both the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Office of the Vice President of the United States.^[5] The Task Force was established to protect American college and university students from sexual assault, to ensure that American colleges and universities are in compliance with federal regulations regarding sexual assault on campuses, and to help provide a safer environment for students on college and university campuses in the United States.

The Council was instrumental in providing a provision in the Affordable Care Act for women's contraception without co-pay^[4] and for general preventative healthcare and breastfeeding services, as well as with policies on education, equal pay, working families, and violence against women. It also focused on issues for women with disabilities, trans women, women of color and women of low-income communities.^{[7] [8]}

On October 4–5, 2010, the Council and Fortune magazine hosted the Most Powerful Women Summit for female entrepreneurs.^[9]

On April 22, 2013, the Council and the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University hosted a White House conference on girls' leadership and civic education.^{[10] [11]}

On June 14, 2016, the White House Council on Women and Girls hosted the first United State of Women Summit. This conference brought attention to the successes the Obama Administration had made in promoting gender equality, as well as the issues and obstacles that women continued to face domestically and internationally.^{[12] [13]} Guests at the summit included President Obama, Vice President Biden, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards.^{[14] [15]}

Dissolution

After being disused for the first several months of the Trump administration,^[4] the Council was disbanded in mid-2017. Trump called the council's efforts "redundant".^[16]

Personnel

Members

The following list reflects council leaders, members, and attendees as of May 2014.

Council on Women and Girls

Chair	Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president and assistant to the president for intergovernmental relations and public engagement
Directors	Tina Tchen, executive director Avra Siegel, deputy director
Regular attendees	John Kerry, Secretary of State Jacob Lew, Secretary of the Treasury Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense Eric Holder, Attorney General Sally Jewell, Secretary of Interior Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture Penny Prizker, Secretary of Commerce Thomas Perez, Secretary of Labor Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education Eric Shinseki, Secretary of Veteran Affairs Rafael Borras, Secretary of Homeland Security Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Jason Furman, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Katherine Archuleta, Director of the Office of Personnel Management Karen Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the Domestic Policy Council Jeffrey Zients, Director of the National Economic Council Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the Agency for International Development Edith Ramirez, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Director of the Peace Corps Charles Bolden, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The executive order allowed for a member of the Council to designate a senior-level official who is a part of the member's department, agency, or office, and who is a full-time officer or employee of the federal government, to perform the Council functions of the member.

Support staff

The following individuals served in the role of support staff to the Council:

• Lynn Rosenthal, Office of the Vice President
• Jocelyn Frye, Office of the First Lady
• Meredith DeFraites, Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Rachana Bhowmik, Office of Cabinet Affairs
• John Holdren, Office of Science and Technology Policy

External links

• The White House Council on Women and Girls
• Acvancing Equity for Women and Girls of Color December 2016 report by the White House Council on Women and Girls

Notes and References

1. Executive Order 13506, Washington, DC: President Barack Obama, The White House, 11 March 2009, Obama, B., Retrieved 27 January 2014.
2. Web site: The White House Council on Women and Girls. 2015-12-04. en. 2019-06-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20190620231604/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/cwg. 2019-06-20. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. live.
3. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/01/22/renewed-call-action-end-rape-and-sexual-assault A renewed call to action to end rape and sexual assault
4. Web site: Politico. White House council for women and girls goes dark under Trump. 30 June 2017. 25 September 2019. Palmeri. Tara. https://web.archive.org/web/20190814191559/https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/30/donald-trump-white-house-council-for-women-and-girls-239979. 14 August 2019. live.
5. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/22/memorandum-establishing-white-house-task-force-protect-students-sexual-a Memorandum establishing White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault
6. http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/obama-we-have-power-end-sexual-assaults Obama admin: Freedom from sexual assault a basic human right
7. Web site: Storey. Kate. What Will Donald Trump Do With the White House Council on Women and Girls?. Cosmopolitan. 2 March 2017. 26 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190811123003/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a9080776/donald-trump-council-for-women-entrepreneurs/. 11 August 2019. live.
8. Web site: Evans. Kelley D.. Andscape. White House Council on Women and Girls continues to make advancements. 21 December 2016. 26 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190331142244/https://theundefeated.com/features/white-house-council-on-women-and-girls-continues-to-make-advancements/. 31 March 2019. live.
9. Web site: Remarks by the President at the 2010 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. 5 October 2010. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. 26 September 2019.
10. Web site: Keneally. Meghan. ABC News. White House considers eliminating council focused on female empowerment. 30 June 2017. 26 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190902114544/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-considers-eliminating-council-focused-female-empowerment/story?id=48380191. 2 September 2019. live.
11. Web site: A National Call to Action: Teaching Young People about Women's Public Leadership and Promoting Public Leadership in Girls. Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University. 26 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20170921081959/http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/calltoactionconferencereport.pdf. 21 September 2017. live.
12. Web site: FACT SHEET: New Steps to Advance Equal Pay on the Seventh Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. January 29, 2016. June 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170121044655/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/29/fact-sheet-new-steps-advance-equal-pay-seventh-anniversary-lilly. January 21, 2017. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. live.
13. Web site: Mettler. Katie. First lady Michelle Obama teams up with Oprah to host 'United State of Women' summit at White House. Washington Post. June 7, 2016. June 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160615020545/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/07/first-lady-michelle-obama-teams-up-with-oprah-to-host-united-state-of-women-summit-at-white-house/. June 15, 2016. live.
14. Web site: Rhodan. Maya. President Obama at Women's Summit: This Is What a Feminist Looks Like. Time. June 14, 2016. June 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160614214610/http://time.com/4369002/barack-obama-united-state-of-women-summit/. June 14, 2016. live.
15. Web site: Miller. Ryan. Message from women's summit: More needs to be done. USA TODAY. June 14, 2016. June 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160615043910/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/06/14/message-womens-summit-more-needs-done/85902324/. June 15, 2016. live.
16. News: Listening tour informs state Council on Women and Girls. 2017-12-29. Times Union. 2018-07-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20180711094019/https://www.timesunion.com/womenatwork/article/Listening-tour-informs-state-Council-on-Women-and-12461586.php. 2018-07-11. live.