Behind Every Member of Congress…Is the Need For More Women Chiefs of Staff

Usually when we think about getting more women into top political spots, we think about encouraging women to run for elective office; however, the behind-the-scenes players are just as important, especially when it comes to writing the legislation and directing strategies.  But, Politico.com reports that women are still in the minority in the top Congressional staff positions. As Siobhan Bennett of the Women’s Campaign Forum said:

Corporations and law firms are setting targets for the number of women they hire, which begs the question, does it make sense for the Hill to come up with targets? After the ‘year of the woman’ and the ascension of Nancy Pelosi, we’re still being left in the dust.

But the problem isn’t so much that women aren’t being hired on the Hill. In fact, Politico reports that tons of women are filling  lower and mid-level positions like staff assistant, scheduler, and executive assistant. These positions can certainly be the starting point on the road to the top, but consider that the average executive assistant on the Hill makes about $50,000 a year and the average pay for a Chief of Staff is about $134,000 and you can see how that that might be one long road to travel if there’s little support or encouragement to move up the ranks. And, that lack of support seems to be the main problem women face in achieving top spots like Chief of Staff or legislative director.

Encouraging women to get involved isn’t so much the problem, but getting them to stay on the job. Politico reports that flexible schedules and shortened maternity leave policies make it difficult for women to pursue their ambitions while raising a family. Twenty-seven percent of House offices offer one month or less for maternity leave and two percent of House offices don’t offer their staffers any paid maternity leave at all (who are those members of Congress?). Flexible leave is not offered by 42 percent of House offices.

 Women who do succeed on the Hill work in offices that provide flexible hours and generous paid maternity leave. Surprisingly, a member of Congress who has these policies in place is not woman, but a man–Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). Ruppersberger’s top four staffers are all working mothers and his office gives them eight weeks paid maternity leave, flexible hours, and the option to work from home. Sounds like my dream job. Ruppersberger will have my resume, stat! 

Of course, having other women at the top can do a lot to encourage other women to stay on the job, climb the ranks and change the culture.  Politico quoted a former chief counsel for Nancy Pelosi, who credited her position in the Congresswoman’s office to female bosses and senior staffers who urged to go for the higher level jobs.