WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Women hold 60% of the 560 politically appointed jobs in U.S. President Joe Biden’s White House, while people from racially or ethnically diverse communities account for 44%, according to a White House report to Congress released on Thursday.
The White House said the report – which includes the salaries of all political appointees – showed that the Biden administration was the most diverse in U.S. history, in line with the Democratic president’s commitment to build an administration that looks like America.
It said the administration had hired 1,500 presidential appointees across the federal government in the first 100 days in office, double the number hired by any prior administration in that time period.
Of those, more than half are women, and half identify as racially and/or ethnically diverse, it said.
“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,” it said.
The percentages for women and people of color are slightly smaller for the 59 senior staff members at the White House, with women accounting for 56%, and people from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds accounting for 36%.
The report also showed a pay gap between men and women of just under one percent, with the women earning $93,752 on average, while men earn $94,639.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal)
