A new era?

Viv Groskop, Guardian, UK

January 23, 2009

We've heard all about Michelle, but what of the other women taking leading roles in Barack Obama's White House? Viv Groskop profiles the key players

It is obvious which woman is expected to be a key - if unofficial - adviser to the new US president, and from her Princeton education to her green leather gloves, we know plenty about the first lady, Michelle Obama. But other women are set to be central to Barack Obama's White House too, including well-known figures such as Hillary Clinton, Valerie Jarrett and Jill Biden.

Some consider Obama to be a distinctly feminist choice of president - the current cover of Ms magazine depicts him in a T-shirt with the slogan, "This is what a feminist looks like." But questions have also been asked about whether he has made enough female appointments; only five of the 20 cabinet-level posts in his administration have been given to women. One commentator sniffed that "the numbers really aren't any more impressive than [those of] any other previous president".

Is this a new era for women in US politics then? We shall have to wait and see. For now, what the women of the current Obama White House may lack in quantity, they will, we hope, make up for in quality.

Hillary Clinton, secretary of state

Clinton, of course, needs no introduction. At 61, she has given up her Senate seat after eight years, and has a lot to prove in her new role. Doubts linger over whether she is too independent or ambitious to be secretary of state, which has been called "the second most prestigious job in the country". Will she be able to achieve what she wants while hovering in second place? Or is she just biding her time until another presidential bid? Also, can she keep that pesky husband in check? Whatever happens, she will be fascinating to watch.

Jill Biden, second lady

The 57-year-old wife of vice president Joe Biden was the unsung hero of the presidential election, and although she doesn't have an official political role in the Obama White House, she promises to be a high-profile role model for working women. A mother of three and grandmother of five, she worked a four-day week as an English teacher in Delaware until last December, and was seen marking school work on the campaign bus. She is currently looking for a teaching job in Washington.

Biden is originally from Pennsylvania, where her father was a banker and her mother stayed at home to bring up five daughters, of whom Jill was the eldest. She took her first job at the age of 15, and said in an interview in 2007 that she "wanted my own money, my own identity, my own career". Wary of marrying into politics, she only agreed to marry Joe after he had proposed five times.

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