On CNN’s Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz spoke with former Clinton White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers, author of Why Women Should Rule the World. Among the topics: whether a double standard exists for some women leaders, including Myers, Sen. Hillary Clinton and CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.
KURTZ: Do you think Katie Couric has similarly been judged by a double standard?
MYERS: I think there’s no question about it. I think it’s been really tough for her, beginning with, you know, the CBS publicity department puts out a picture of her and they Photoshop it to make her look a little thinner. I think most people look at Katie Couric and think she looks great, and yet she still, from the very beginning, the questions are, is she serious enough, does she have the gravitas to sit in that chair? And in some ways, the question is, is she male enough?
AdvertisementSo she struggled. I struggled. A lot of women have struggled.
I think things are getting better for women, but I think there’s plenty of room for women to rule alongside men. Not in place of men, but alongside men.