In the old boy network, it's always a strong possibility but certainly the new foreign minister isn't doing herself any favors either. It should be noted that the two countries being accused of sexism have done a much better job than the UK in recent years with promoting women in senior government positions. The UK is not necessarily known for promoting a fair distribution of senior positions in either government or business. Thatcher is of course, the exception that proves the rule in modern Britain. Sexism surely is playing a role though lack of visibility during the recent crisis isn't helping. (Think about Bush being a no show after Katrina.)
It should also be noted that northern Europe is the model for sharing business and government between men and women. Most countries in the world could learn a few lessons from those governments, the US included. The choice of Catherine Ashton for this position has seemed as odd as the decision to promote Herman Van Rompuy as EU President. Neither had a record of substance and nothing suggested that they had the experience necessary for what should be high profile jobs.
You almost have to feel bad for both since they were thrown into the spotlight without much experience handling that brutal environment. It's as if both were set up for failure. When I read about the new foreign minister being protective of her personal time, on a personal level I'm in complete agreement. I don't take phone calls or check work emails after a certain hour and I enjoy having dedicated time with my wife. However, even in my field of work, it's understood that this is not always possible as you move up the ladder. It's not right and it's probably not healthy, but that's the way it is. When you accept the job of foreign minister or president, it goes without saying that your personal schedule is going to be limited while you are in that role.
What were the Brits thinking when they promoted a non-elected, unknown person in the first place? A peer in the House of Lords? Really? The Independent:
Her no-show in Haiti helped to tip what was just a mild undercurrent of consternation into a torrent of hostility. Her argument that "disaster tourism" would detract from vital humanitarian efforts was left looking silly when another senior EU official, Development Commissioner Karel De Gucht, was dispatched to the scene of the disaster. French newspapers seized on her absence, with the left-leaning daily Libération expressing outrage that Lady Ashton had returned to Britain to visit her husband and children on the same day that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Port-au-Prince. "It smacks of amateurism, even incompetence," the paper wrote. France's Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche deplored the "current void" left by Ashton. "The world does not wait for us," he told French reporters. She also left herself open to further attacks over her decision to forgo an international aid conference for Haiti in Canada, leaving the media-savvy French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to grab the limelight.
But supporters said criticism of what may have been an error of judgement is now degenerating into a personal character assassination. "The French seem to have it in for her. It is open to question how much of this is about her being British and a woman. And they have a huge guilt complex over Haiti anyway, which they might channelling through her. But it is becoming excessive," said one senior diplomat, referring to a recent French article that alleged that Lady Ashton "switches off her phone after 8pm" and makes off to London every weekend to visit her husband and school-going child, instead of travelling the globe.
