Now that the 2020 general election is over, President-elect Joe Biden prepares for his Inauguration Day on Jan 20. With a new commander-in-chief coming in, students wonder if Joe Biden's presidency will bring changes. Multiple students from women-led campus organizations shared their perspectives.
Lucy Newell, sophomore and co-president of Women in Government at IU, said she believes the current administration has made advocating for women's rights or their autonomy a top priority.
“With the Biden and Harris administration, we will work to move our country to the left and certain social programs will be enacted that would make it more normal for women to enter the workplace and make it more accessible,” Newell said.
She is confident the new administration will make a larger effort to protect women’s rights.
“I also think expanding health care will lead to more access to contraception, which the ability to family plan really impacts women’s ability to enter the workplace,” Newell said. “On the policy side, there are policies that the left can offer to support women even in small ways, like offering child care, contraception and Title IX changes.”
Samantha Hyde, sophomore and Girl Up member, thinks that Biden has already begun working toward this goal. The biggest thing Biden’s shown to be doing so far was enlisting more women in higher offices, Hyde said.
“He announced a few days ago that the senior communications roles would all be held by women, so that’s seven spots right there that are already being held by women,” Hyde said.
She believes this might inspire future presidents to do the same thing.
Hyde is hopeful that women and minorities will be more represented under this administration.
“I think that it shows that Biden and Harris together are moving forward to debunk a lot of the ideology that women shouldn’t hold higher positions or national offices,” Hyde said, “a lot of Trump’s cabinet members had a lot of men in there, specifically white men.”
She also said she thinks Biden’s administration will give a lot of citizens something to look forward to and to look up to.
“I would definitely say it is something exciting, especially with Kamala Harris,” said Macy Brammer, sophomore and co-president of Women in Government. “I think it’s a landmark, momentous election to see the first Black and female vice president.”
“It’s less so ‘we made it’ and more so like ‘let’s see where we can keep going from here in the future,’” Brammer said. “For women’s rights, it’s definitely important. From a more personal perspective, I would say it’s less so because ‘wow, Biden and Harris are going to be this champion of progressivism for women’s rights’ and it’s more so having Trump out.”
Compared to Donald Trump’s presidency, Brammer believes Biden’s presidency will mark changes to American women as we will no longer have a president who devalues women.
