Abby Wolf staff writer
President Joe Biden’s, all-female communications team, the first in American history, was sworn in on Jan. 20, hours after President Biden’s inauguration.
This team is primarily responsible for promoting the agenda of the Biden administration, making the public aware of Biden’s positions and ideas and communicating with the media. The members include:
- Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki
- Communications Director Kate Bedingfield
- Press Secretaries for Vice President Kamala Harris, Ashley Etienne and Symone Sanders
In a statement about the importance of this communications team, President Biden said, “Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House.”
Some female students at Beverly see this news as a positive thing to advance women in government and leadership roles in general.
“I think it’s great for women because it shows that the government doesn’t have to be a male-run industry and it shows that women can do anything men can do,” sophomore Isabela Painter said.
Junior Kate Kotlyar sees Biden’s all-female team as a positive thing for the American government.
“It’s really important to have women in positions of power and [Biden has] an entire faction,” Kotlyar said.
Sophomore Rachel Kohley views the female-led team positively, but reacted in a different way than her peers.
“I think this is long overdue…I think this is something that should not be celebrated or applauded in any way because it should be a cultural norm,” Kohley said.
Painter explains that she thinks this is not only beneficial for women in government, but for women around the country.
“I think [the female communications team] is a very positive thing and I think it can lead to women having more respect, because I know a lot of people don’t respect women when it comes to these kinds of things,” Painter said.
Although students see this as a positive thing, they also believe that it will be difficult for the women running this team due to sexism in government.
“Sadly, women face a discrimination that men will never have to encounter in their lives due to their gender, and you can…expect that there will continue to be people who are outright bias[ed] and rude to women in positions of power,” Kohley said.
In relation to press briefings, Kotlyar explains that she’s more hopeful for a positive response from the world to an all female-run team.
“I’m hoping it won’t be [any different than having a man], because if it’s not different, it means that men and women are treated equally…I honestly hope that nothing is different, but if something is different, [I hope it’s] better.” Kotlyar said.
Overall, some female students believe that this step will benefit the future of women in power.
“I think it’s a massive step forward to have women in these positions of power, let alone having a woman as the vice president. It’s monumental,” Kotlyar said.