Gender not focus of Federal Reserve chair appointment

On Oct. 10, President Barack Obama nominated Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. This would make her the first woman to lead the Fed and the second woman to be in charge of a major country’s monetary policy, if she is approved by the Senate.

Here is some background on Yellen: She is a professor at institutions such as Harvard, UC Berkeley, Yale and the London School of Economics. She was an economist with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in the ’70s. Yellen also served as chair of President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers and was appointed as a member of the Federal Reserve System’s Board of Governors in the ’90s. She then served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for 6 years.

Suffice to say, she is more than qualified. Some people say she is the most qualified appointed chair of the Fed in history.

So, why am I writing my viewpoint on if I think there should be more women in leaderships positions?

American screenwriter Joss Whedon said it best when he was asked why he writes strong female characters, “Because you’re still asking me that question.”

This is not an argument of which sex makes for a better leader. What stands out about American ideals is the notion of being judged solely on your merit. It is ridiculous that someone’s sex— or race, gender identity, sexual preference, etc.— is even a topic of debate when his or her outstanding qualifications are almost hitting you in the face.

Yes, women should have more leaderships positions, and yes, Obama should definitely look into appointing more women to his cabinet, but not because male guilt says so. Women are equally as competent as men. They are equally as good of leaders. They are equally worthy of being appointed to these positions that have been deemed only available to old, white men for so long.

It is evident that there are good and bad leaders across the board. You’ve got Wendy Davis, and then you’ve got Michelle Bachmann. You’ve got JFK, and then you’ve got Rick Perry. You’ve got Julian and Joaquin Castro, and then you’ve got Ted Cruz.

I can’t say that Yellen is a good person for the job because she was born female; just the same, you can’t say she is ill-fit for the job for the same reason.

Yellen is the ideal person for the job, regardless of her biological sex. We take away from her accomplishments when we focus on her sex. Her qualifications are impressive for any human. That is what we should be focusing on.