View source for White House Council on Women and Girls

{{Infobox government agency
| name            = Council on Women and Girls
| type            = Council
| seal            =
| seal_width      = 140px
| formed          = March 11, 2009
| dissolved       = 2017
| preceding1      = [[White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach]] (1995–2001)
| jurisdiction    =
| headquarters    = [[White House]]
| employees       = 10
| budget          =
| image           =
| chief1_name     = 
| chief1_position = Chair
| chief2_name     = 
| chief2_position = Executive Director
| parent_agency   = [[Office of Intergovernmental Affairs]]
| child1_agency   =
| 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 [[White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs|Office of Intergovernmental Affairs]] of the Executive Office of the [[President of the United States]]. It was established by {{Executive Order|13506}} 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]].<ref name="Executive">''Executive Order 13506'', Washington, DC: President Barack Obama, The White House, 11 March 2009, Obama, B., Retrieved 27 January 2014.</ref> It also ensured that other White House agencies acted in a manner to allow all things to be possible for all people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/cwg|title=The White House Council on Women and Girls|date=2015-12-04|language=en|access-date=2019-06-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620231604/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/cwg|archive-date=2019-06-20|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|url-status=live}}</ref> The Council was chaired by [[Valerie Jarrett]]<ref name="Sexualassault">[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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122133128/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/01/22/renewed-call-action-end-rape-and-sexual-assault |date=2017-01-22 }}, ''The White House Blog'', Washington, DC: Valerie Jarrett, 22 January 2014, Retrieved 24 January 2014.</ref> 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 [[Presidency of Joe Biden|Biden administration]] on January 20, 2021.

==Formation==
[[File:Barack Obama and Valerie Jarrett in the West Wing corridor cropped.jpg|thumb|Obama speaks with Jarrett in a West Wing corridor.]]

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.<ref name="PalmeriTrump">{{cite web|website=[[Politico]]|title=White House council for women and girls goes dark under Trump|date=30 June 2017|access-date=25 September 2019|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/30/donald-trump-white-house-council-for-women-and-girls-239979|last=Palmeri|first=Tara|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814191559/https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/30/donald-trump-white-house-council-for-women-and-girls-239979|archive-date=14 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In his {{Executive Order|13506}}, signed on March 11, 2009, Obama stated:

{{Blockquote|The purpose of this order is to establish a coordinated Federal response to issues that particularly impact the lives of women and girls and to ensure that Federal programs and policies address and take into account the distinctive concerns of women and girls, including women of color and those with disabilities.<ref name="Executive" />}}

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

The executive order then lists areas where inequalities remained.<ref name="Executive" /> 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 [[women in science|hard sciences]].<ref name="Executive" />  The executive order additionally stated that "too many women lack health insurance [... and that] violence against women and girls remains a global epidemic".<ref name="Executive" />  It noted the challenges in guaranteeing equal opportunities in education for girls and women, and that and women had disproportionately suffered from the [[Financial crisis of 2007–2008|2007 financial crisis]].<ref name="Executive" />

The executive order also stated that the issues that affect women are not solely the concerns of women:<ref name="Executive" />

{{Blockquote|When jobs do not offer family leave, that affects men who wish to help care for their families. When women earn less than men for the same work, that affects families who have to work harder to make ends meet. When our daughters do not have the same educational and career opportunities as our sons, that affects entire communities, our economy, and our future as a Nation.<ref name="Executive" />}}

The Department of Commerce provided funding and administrative support for the Council.<ref name="Executive" />

==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",<ref name="Executive" /><ref name="Sexualassault" /><ref name="Memo">[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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122115707/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/22/memorandum-establishing-white-house-task-force-protect-students-sexual-a |date=2017-01-22 }}, ''The White House: President Barack Obama'', Washington, DC: Office of the Press Secretary, 22 January 2014, Retrieved 24 January 2014.</ref><ref name="Freedom">[http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/obama-we-have-power-end-sexual-assaults Obama admin: Freedom from sexual assault a basic human right] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125031015/http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/obama-we-have-power-end-sexual-assaults |date=2014-01-25 }}, ''MSNBC.com'', New York, NY: NBC Universal, 22 January 2014, Richinick, M., Retrieved 24 January 2014.</ref> including providing assistance to women-owned businesses and to help women enter professions in science, engineering and technology.<ref name="Executive" />

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.<ref name="Executive" />

==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]].<ref name="Sexualassault" /><ref name="Memo"/>  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.<ref name="Sexualassault" /><ref name="Memo" />

The Council was instrumental in providing a provision in the [[Affordable Care Act]] for women's contraception without co-pay<ref name="PalmeriTrump"/> and for general preventative healthcare and breastfeeding services, as well as with policies on [[Women's education in the United States|education]], [[Gender pay gap in the United States|equal pay]], working families, and violence against women. It also focused on issues for women with disabilities, [[trans woman|trans women]], women of color and women of low-income communities.<ref>{{cite web|last=Storey|first=Kate|title=What Will Donald Trump Do With the White House Council on Women and Girls?|website=Cosmopolitan|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a9080776/donald-trump-council-for-women-entrepreneurs/|date=2 March 2017|access-date=26 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811123003/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a9080776/donald-trump-council-for-women-entrepreneurs/|archive-date=11 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Kelley D.|website=[[Andscape]]|title=White House Council on Women and Girls continues to make advancements|url=https://andscape.com/features/white-house-council-on-women-and-girls-continues-to-make-advancements/|date=21 December 2016|access-date=26 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331142244/https://theundefeated.com/features/white-house-council-on-women-and-girls-continues-to-make-advancements/|archive-date=31 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 4–5, 2010, the Council and ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine hosted the [[Fortune Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs|Most Powerful Women Summit]] for female entrepreneurs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/05/remarks-president-2010-fortune-most-powerful-women-summit|title=Remarks by the President at the 2010 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit|date=5 October 2010|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref>

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.<ref name="KeneallyEliminating">{{cite web|last=Keneally|first=Meghan|website=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-considers-eliminating-council-focused-female-empowerment/story?id=48380191|title=White House considers eliminating council focused on female empowerment|date=30 June 2017|access-date=26 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902114544/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-considers-eliminating-council-focused-female-empowerment/story?id=48380191|archive-date=2 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/calltoactionconferencereport.pdf|title=A National Call to Action: Teaching Young People about Women's Public Leadership and Promoting Public Leadership in Girls|publisher=Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University|access-date=26 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921081959/http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/calltoactionconferencereport.pdf|archive-date=21 September 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=FACT SHEET: New Steps to Advance Equal Pay on the Seventh Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/29/fact-sheet-new-steps-advance-equal-pay-seventh-anniversary-lilly|date=January 29, 2016|access-date=June 15, 2016|archive-url=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|archive-date=January 21, 2017|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="FLOTUS">{{cite web|last=Mettler|first=Katie|title=First lady Michelle Obama teams up with Oprah to host 'United State of Women' summit at White House|url=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/|work=[[Washington Post]]|date=June 7, 2016|access-date=June 15, 2016|archive-url=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/|archive-date=June 15, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Guests at the summit included President Obama, Vice President Biden, [[House Democratic Leader]] [[Nancy Pelosi]], and [[Planned Parenthood]] President [[Cecile Richards]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Rhodan|first=Maya|title=President Obama at Women's Summit: This Is What a Feminist Looks Like|url=http://time.com/4369002/barack-obama-united-state-of-women-summit/|work=[[Time Magazine|Time]]|date=June 14, 2016|access-date=June 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614214610/http://time.com/4369002/barack-obama-united-state-of-women-summit/|archive-date=June 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="USATODAY">{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Ryan|title=Message from women's summit: More needs to be done|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/06/14/message-womens-summit-more-needs-done/85902324/|work=[[USA TODAY]]|date=June 14, 2016|access-date=June 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615043910/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/06/14/message-womens-summit-more-needs-done/85902324/|archive-date=June 15, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Dissolution==
After being disused for the first several months of the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]],<ref name="PalmeriTrump"/> the Council was disbanded in mid-2017. Trump called the council's efforts "redundant".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesunion.com/womenatwork/article/Listening-tour-informs-state-Council-on-Women-and-12461586.php|title=Listening tour informs state Council on Women and Girls|date=2017-12-29|work=Times Union|access-date=2018-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711094019/https://www.timesunion.com/womenatwork/article/Listening-tour-informs-state-Council-on-Women-and-12461586.php|archive-date=2018-07-11|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personnel==
===Members===
The following list reflects council leaders, members, and attendees as of May 2014.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ 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
| {{plainlist|
* [[Tina Tchen]], executive director
* [[Avra Siegel]], deputy director
}}
|-
! Regular<br />attendees
| {{plainlist|
* [[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.<ref name="Executive" />

===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

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/cwg The White House Council on Women and Girls]
*[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/2016%20CWG%20WGOC%20REPORT%20.pdf Acvancing Equity for Women and Girls of Color] December 2016 report by the White House Council on Women and Girls

{{EOP agencies}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:White House Office|Council on Women and Girls]]
[[Category:Gender policy of Barack Obama]]