11 High-Ranking Federal Posts That Have Still Never Been Held By Women

On Monday the Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as Chair of the Federal Reserve by a vote of 56 to 26, making her the first woman to lead the Fed in its 100-year history. While many are celebrating Yellen's confirmation as another step forward for equal rights, I'm reminded of just how many other public policy positions have never been held by a woman. Although women represent over 50% of the population, this list clearly shows how large the disparity of power has been in America's two hundred and thirty eight year history.

So while our past has been characterized by powerful men, hopefully our future will be more gender-balanced. We can all agree that the men in Washington, D.C. haven't been doing a great job lately.

Who knows —maybe 2014 or 2016 will be the year of the woman in U.S. politics?

1. Senate Minority Leader (18 men, 0 women)

2. Senate Majority Leader (20 men, 0 women)

3. White House Chief of Staff (26 men, 0 women)

4. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (18 men, 0 women)

5. Secretary of Defense (24 men, 0 women)

6. Director of the FBI (7 men, 0 women)

7. Director of the CIA (25 men, 0 women)

8. Chief Justice of the United States (17 men, 0 women)

9. Secretary of the Treasury (76 men, 0 women)

10. Vice President of the United States (47 men, 0 women)

11. President of the United States (44 men, 0 women)