Madeleine May Kunin is a former Democratic governor of Vermont. She is the author of “Coming of Age, My Journey to the Eighties.”
It’s no longer a man’s world — certainly not in the Vermont Statehouse and not in Washington, D.C.
Women are scoring “firsts” in leadership at an extraordinary rate in 2020. The sign “Girls Keep Out” on the “Good Old Boys Club” had been torn down years ago.
Today, women have not only gained membership, they are running the show.
For evidence, take a look at the Vermont Legislature. All four Senate leadership positions are held by women, a far cry from when I was lieutenant governor in the 1980s, when all the leaders were male.
Today, the top Senate spot is held by Sen. Becca Balint, as president pro tempore, equivalent to the speaker of the House. She has made history as the first woman to be elected to that position, and the first openly gay person.
Molly Gray, the newly elected lieutenant governor, will wield the gavel from the Senate podium. Two more women were elected by their peers to leadership positions: majority leader, and whip.
The Vermont House, not to be outdone, is primed to elect Jill Krowinski as the third female speaker, a position traditionally held by a man when I was a legislator.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris promised a diverse cabinet during the campaign, and so far, they are delivering. Biden announced an all-female communication team. Eyebrows, no doubt, were raised by this bold move. But women have been witness to all-male leadership teams, it seems forever, that no one had questioned.
The most prominent of the female nominees in the economic team is Janet L. Yellen as Treasury secretary. She already had acquired a collection of “firsts” as Federal Reserve chair and as head of the Council of Economic Advisers. But now she stands on the top rung, where her influence will be substantial.
What policy differences can we expect to see with a near-equal number of women at the helm? Foremost, all the nominees — women and men — have impressive resumes. They are experienced, in contrast to many of the cabinet members on Trump’s team, which was also largely male and white.
These trailblazing women will bring us close to having leaders who look like America. They will present new priorities, like paid family and medical leave, and equal pay. Many will have raised families and have struggled finding and paying for child care. Their different life experiences will make them strong advocates for furthering family-work policies.
Studies have shown that some women in leadership have a somewhat different style. They tend to want to negotiate to get things done. That alone would mark a sea change. But women won’t be different in all respects. They will continue to abide by the job description on most issues.
I am thrilled to see these competent women rise to the top.
Most have earned their credentials in lesser roles as “assistant” or “deputy” to their former bosses. Now that more women will be in charge, we will see what diversity looks like. And what it can achieve.
