White House says more than half of its staffers are women

By Kate Sullivan and Phil Mattingly, CNN

Women make up approximately 60% of the staff at the White House and 56% of senior staff, the White House said Thursday ahead of releasing its annual report to Congress on personnel.

The White House touted the diversity of its administration and said the staff makeup shows President Joe Biden has kept his promise of building an administration that looks like America.

Approximately 36% of White House senior staff and about 44% of Biden appointees at the White House are part of racially and/or ethnically diverse communities, the White House said.

The White House’s annual report to Congress includes the salaries of those in the executive office of the President. Women at the White House are earning $93,752 on average and men are earning $94,639 on average.

“In alignment with the President’s commitment to diversity and pay equity, the White House has taken significant steps to ensure the White House staff reflects the diversity of the country and the highest standards (of) economic and social justice for all,” the White House said in a fact sheet.

The fact sheet reads: “The Biden-Harris Administration is the most diverse Administration in history. Building an Administration that looks like America has been a long-standing commitment of the President, both in terms of White House staff and presidential appointees across the federal government.”

The White House said it had established a salary structure that includes pay bands for Biden appointees, which it said “is a best practice for helping to achieve pay equity.”

“Each pay band relates to job descriptions that are associated with certain competencies, skills, and experience, and the structure ensures that all those hired at the same level are paid the same. Pay bands also help ensure that, regardless of gender or race, those completing similar work are paid the same,” the White House said.

In addition to White House staff, the President has the most diverse Cabinet in US history, which includes the first LGBTQ Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate, first Native American Cabinet secretary, first female treasury secretary, first African American secretary of defense, first Latino secretary of Health and Human Services and first Asian American US trade representative. Vice President Kamala Harris is the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president.

The White House noted that for the first time ever, its staff includes a chief diversity and inclusion director — a position held by Michael Leach. His portfolio includes coordinating training and programming for all White House staff aimed at increasing awareness of best practices in diversity and inclusion, the White House said.

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