Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Sign up for our newsletter

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • The full PUMP Act is now in effect. Here’s what it does for lactating parents.

        Chabeli Carrazana · April 28
      • 1 in 4 parents report being fired for work interruptions due to child care breakdowns

        Chabeli Carrazana · February 2
      • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

        Orion Rummler · September 20
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

        Candice Norwood · October 11
      • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

        Nadra Nittle · September 8
      • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

        Candice Norwood · July 20
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: How to ease the ‘loneliness epidemic’ and social isolation among older adults

        Sara Luterman · April 24
      • The 19th Explains: Who will be most impacted by Medicaid changes — and when

        Rebekah Barber · March 28
      • The 19th Explains: What we know about Brittney Griner’s case and what it took to get her home

        Candice Norwood, Katherine Gilyard · December 8
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • From ballroom dancing to bloodshed, the older AAPI community grapples with gun control

        Nadra Nittle, Mariel Padilla · January 27
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Ranked-choice voting is gaining momentum. So are efforts to stop it.

        Barbara Rodriguez · April 24
      • Connecticut voters approved early voting. Here’s how their new secretary of state wants to make it happen.

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 13
      • Women lawmakers in Minnesota are in the vanguard of the democracy movement

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 3

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • 19th Polling
    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Election 2022
    • Election 2024
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Military
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th News(letter)

News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Jill Biden speaking at a podium at a playground.
Jill Biden, wife of President-elect Joe Biden, will continue her career at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has taught English for a decade. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Politics

Jill Biden will be the first first lady to work full time

“I’m a teacher. That’s who I am,” Biden said.

Mariel Padilla

General Assignment Reporter

Mariel Padilla portrait

Published

2020-11-09 16:16
4:16
November 9, 2020
pm

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

We’re the only newsroom dedicated to writing about gender, politics and policy. Subscribe to our newsletter today.

Pat Nixon was the first first lady to wear pants in public. Hillary Clinton was the first first lady to be elected to a public office. And now, Jill Biden is projected to become the first first lady to keep her full-time job outside of the White House. 

Katherine Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University, said Biden will bring the role of first lady of the United States into the 21st century. 

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

“If Dr. Biden is able to pull this off, she will be leading a life that is much more like that of everyday American women: balancing their role in a family with a professional life,” Jellison said. 

Biden said she will commute from the White House to the Northern Virginia Community College, where she has taught English for a decade.

In her introduction video during the Democratic National Convention, Biden made it clear that she could do both jobs: FLOTUS and professor. She managed to keep teaching full time when she served as second lady for eight years. When asked in August during a CBS interview about her plans if her husband, Joe Biden, were to win the presidential election, Biden responded: “Oh, yes, I will continue teaching. I’m a teacher. That’s who I am.” 

Michael LaRosa, a spokesperson for Biden, said the future first lady is “enormously grateful” to the country for electing her husband.

“She is spending time with her children and grandchildren in Wilmington, Delaware,” LaRosa said in a statement. “Dr. Biden is focused on building her team and developing her priorities focused on education, military families, and veterans and cancer.” 

A newsletter for the new electorate

Analysis and interviews from Errin Haines, delivered to your inbox every other week.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Historically, first ladies are among the most important political actors in the White House as trusted advisors to the president, according to Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Since 1992, the Office of the First Lady has averaged about 16 to 25 staff members. Her most important tasks include presidential advising and communications. 

Biden’s tenure will coincide with the vice presidency of Kamala Harris, the first woman and Black and South Asian person to serve in the country’s second-highest office. According to Jellison, this “dynamic duo” has the potential to inspire young girls and reshape the country’s expectations for what leaders can and should be.

“I think they are both great role models for American women and, frankly, American everyone,” Jellison said. “It’s good for little boys and men to see women like this in the spotlight.” 

She will be leading a life that is much more like that of everyday American women.

Katherine Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University

The pandemic exacerbated long-existing inequities, but perhaps nowhere more acutely than in education as schools shut down and teachers were tasked with navigating the return to the classroom. Teaching is the profession that employs the most women in the United States: 4.2 million. President-elect Biden released a “five-step roadmap” in September to reopen schools that would establish national safety guidelines, call on Congress to pass an additional coronavirus relief package with school funding and establish a Department of Education project studying best practices in distance learning.

In his victory speech on Saturday night, Biden said: “For America’s educators, this is a great day. You’re going to have one of your own in the White House.” 

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Jill Biden was the first presidential spouse to earn a doctoral degree. Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama both received JDs. We regret the error.

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

The 19th News(letter)

News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Become a member

From the Collection

Changing Child Care

Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
  • The full PUMP Act is now in effect. Here’s what it does for lactating parents.

    Chabeli Carrazana · April 28
  • 1 in 4 parents report being fired for work interruptions due to child care breakdowns

    Chabeli Carrazana · February 2
  • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

    Orion Rummler · September 20

Up Next

Election 2020

Women and LGBTQ+ voters celebrate Harris’ win

The ascension of Harris, the woman of color vice president-elect, prompts bipartisan celebration.

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Search
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram