The XX Factor: Slate women blog about politics, etc...

It's Tough at the Top

CBS anchor Katie Couric, in Israel covering the Obama foreign tour, gave an interview to Haaretz in which she discussed being a TV anchor: "I find myself in the last bastion of male dominance, and realizing what Hillary Clinton might have realized not long ago: that sexism in the American society is more common than racism, and certainly more acceptable or forgivable. In any case, I think my post and Hillary's race are important steps in the right direction." I find it unseemly for people like Couric and Clinton, who have been rewarded greatly for their talent, skill, and drive, to complain that sexism is the reason when they don't succeed at absolutely everything. (Couric is paid $15 million a year, a higher salary than her male counterparts.) Sure, she and Clinton have both gotten bashed—that's part of the territory of being a public figure. Couric's predecessor, Dan Rather, was widely mocked for wearing sweaters, for his corn-pone sayings, for his penchant for misadventure. Finally, he was kicked out of his anchor chair in a humiliating fashion. At least he couldn't complain all this happened because white guys can't catch a break. Does Couric believe that if she were a black man she'd be No. 1 in the ratings?