Interview with Kay Bailey Hutchison
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Marianne Schnall interviews businesswoman, author, and former US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX). With over twenty years’ experience serving in the Senate, Hutchison tells us about her firsthand experience seeing the climate improve for women in Washington since she first took office in 1993. In the interview, she shares her insights on how much gender will play a role in the 2016 election, whether having a woman president would help make Washington more collaborative, and the unparalleled rewards of holding public office.
With all the hardships of public office, the main reward is to accomplish things that are going to make a big difference. It is a reward that is unlike anything that you can really feel the same about in the private sector. The private sector is great; I love it. But the changes that I have been able to make for stay-at-home spouses to have equal retirement opportunities to those who work outside the home, that makes me feel good every day…. And you don’t make as much money as people who are in the private sector, but you have a sense of accomplishment that is really unmatched.
US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, waves after speaking at the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, June 8, 2012. Hutchison is retiring at the end of her term. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Marianne Schnall is a widely published writer and interviewer whose writings and interviews have appeared in a variety of media outlets including O, The Oprah Magazine, TIME.com, In Style, CNN.com, EW.com, the Women’s Media Center, and many others. Marianne is a featured blogger at The Huffington Post and a contributor to the nationally syndicated NPR radio show, 51 Percent: The Women’s Perspective. Schnall is the founder and Executive Director of Feminist.com, a leading women’s website and nonprofit organization. For nearly 20 years, Feminist.com has been fostering awareness, education, and activism for people all across the world.
Marianne’s latest book What Will It Take to Make A Woman President?: Conversations About Women, Leadership and Power, features interviews with politicians, public officials, thought leaders, writers, artists, and activists in an attempt to discover the obstacles that have held women back and what needs to change in order to elect a woman into the White House.