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Before end this day, I want to share an encounter I had this week that reminded me how deeply ingrained sexism is to the basic operations of Washington’s policy discourse. 1/
I wrote last year about the appalling dominance of all male or nearly all male events and conferences. This spans political orientation and policy preference. It means some are systematically shunned from these discussions because of their gender. 2/ cnas.org/publications/r…
Since then, we @plough_shares have joined with leading foundations and institutes to take specific actions to ensure gender equity. We call this initiative “Gender Champions.” gcnuclearpolicy.org 3/
Talking with so many good, determined leaders, I have to admit that I felt that this was the wave of the future and that our views were becoming the widely accepted practice in the field. No, they are not. 4/
At a think tank reception this week, I spoke with a colleague who is sponsoring an upcoming prominent event with six people, only one of whom is a women. I gently encouraged him to work on this. There are many women at least as qualified as the men he had chosen. He laughed. 5/
Not only did he not take this advice seriously, he clearly thought it “PC,” annoying and completely unnecessary. A male reporter friend walked over and joined us. I sought his support. He was worse. 6/
He mocked the very idea and complained about his former newspaper where it was “always one of this and one of that and one of the other.” The idea that diverse views ensure better discussions and solutions was not unknown to him, just unacceptable. I was a wimp for giving in. 7/
Bottom lines: We got a long way to go. Men enjoy their privilege and won’t give it up willingly. Change does not happen through osmosis. Fredrick Douglas was right: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did; it never will.” 8/8
