Obama really is starting to look like a feminist!

Today, the Press Secretary announced that President Obama will be creating a White House Council on Women and Girls.

Here's what the President himself had to say about the matter:
"The purpose of this Council is to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy," said President Obama. "My Administration has already made important progress toward that goal. I am proud that the first bill I signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. But I want to be clear that issues like equal pay, family leave, child care and others are not just women’s issues, they are family issues and economic issues. Our progress in these areas is an important measure of whether we are truly fulfilling the promise of our democracy for all our people."

Things I love about this statement:
-An admittance that women's lives are directly affected by public policy and vice versa
-A recognition that issues of equality and family are everyone's problem, not just women's
-A sense of democracy that seems to suggest that all men and women are created equal (sounds an awful lot like the Equal Rights Amendment!)

And this wonderful list of concrete goals for the Council's first year:

• Improving women’s economic security by ensuring that each of the agencies is working to directly improve the economic status of women.
• Working with each agency to ensure that the administration evaluates and develops policies that establish a balance between work and family.
• Working hand-in-hand with the Vice President, the Justice Department’s Office of Violence Against Women and other government officials to find new ways to prevent violence against women, at home and abroad.
• Finally, the critical work of the Council will be to help build healthy families and improve women’s health care.