DC, USA — Women are making history in the Biden-Harris administration as a record number of women are expected to serve in Biden's cabinet.
It was not until 1933 that the first woman was appointed to a cabinet position and today a record-breaking number of women are expected to serve in the President’s cabinet.
President Joe Biden made history selecting the most diverse cabinet to date and included in that cabinet ---Vice President Kamala Harris --the first female--the first black--and the first South Asian person to serve as the Vice President.
“Someone who has such a serious breadth and depth of experience as Attorney General for California and as a United States senator, she is extremely well prepared to lead,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said.
“It’s inspiring, it’s pathbreaking, it gives a lot of hope to a lot of young people about the future about what’s possible for them,” Sacred Heart University History and Women’s Studies Professor Dr. Kelly Marino said. “Women in the U.S. have been fighting since the beginning of time to get greater representation in politics.”
As well as making history selecting the highest number of women to serve in the cabinet, Biden chose female leaders throughout his administration, several of them with Connecticut ties.
Stamford native Jen Psaki selected as Biden's White House Press Secretary. Psaki previously served in the Obama administration and now joins an all-female senior communications team.
President Trump did have a number of women in high-level positions throughout his administration. but political historians said the Biden administration is taking that one step further.
“We want to work hard to achieve political parity, so more women are inspired and excited about running and winning and taking their rightful seats in office,” Executive Director of the Campaign School at Yale University Patricia Russo said.
Biden also selected Yale professor Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith to lead a new White House task force dedicated to health equity. Smith also serves as co-chair of Biden's covid-19 advisory board.
With many history-making moments under the Biden administration so far --- many say the biggest ---Harris’ role as vice president----will inspire generations to come.
“It’s been such a fight for women to get to this level, Kamala Harris is really breaking the glass ceiling,” Marino said.
“To think about all the girls and young women who had the opportunity today to watch Kamala Harris be sworn in as 49th vice president was just a very empowering and exciting moment,” Bysiewicz said.
If all of the nominations are confirmed by the Senate, women would hold 48 percent of the cabinet-level positions in the Biden-Harris administration.