At age 27, Karoline Leavitt set a record by becoming the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary. Not only is it an impressive feat to hold this demanding and notable position at her age, but she’s also making strides in her career while embracing a new chapter in her life: motherhood.
Leavitt, who also served as the national press secretary for President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, became a first-time mother when she welcomed her son Nicholas into the world in July. She was offered the campaign position early on in her pregnancy by Trump’s co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and, in good faith, decided to tell them ahead of time that she was expecting. Leavitt told the Conservateur, “They couldn’t have been more accepting and welcoming of me.”
Wiles, now serving as Trump’s chief of staff, reached this new milestone later in her career compared to Leavitt. She is the first woman to serve in this role and has a successful career history leading up to this position. At 67, she has pursued her career aspirations, making her mark in the political arena while also having a family. Wiles is the mother of two adult daughters, Katie and Caroline.
Both women have built the lives they desire for themselves and champion what it means to be “opportunity feminists,” unconstrained by the narratives of what makes women successful. Our society is filled with juxtaposed images of successful women: the girlboss who conquers the patriarchy and the traditional wife who serves her family. Rather than ascribing to the polarized narrative, the classification of successful women should be defined through a lens of individual autonomy.
Leavitt and Wiles are symbols of the new era ushered in by the Trump administration, where women are empowered and have the freedom to define their success in both their professional and personal lives. Each of them has been able to build the life she desires; Leavitt is raising her newborn son while serving as White House press secretary. Wiles has taken on this historic position after having a successful career and raising two grown children.
Whether working while having a young family, being a stay-at-home mother, or somewhere in between, women should have the freedom to create the lifestyle that works best for them. Trump has provided an example by elevating women to some of the most senior administration positions.
Liberals portray a limited narrative of a successful woman who is tied to career advancement and forgoes traditional roles. Woke women aim to abolish the patriarchy, setting ablaze the systems that protect individual liberty. This framework has led women toward unstable identities and burnout, alienating those who desire to stay at home more or have a family while building their careers.
Unfortunately, due to inflation and the increased cost of living, families may require both spouses to work, limiting individual choice for women who want to leave the workforce to stay home with their children or work flexible hours. A study from the Pew Research Center highlights the dual-income trend. In 2022, 29% of marriages had egalitarian incomes.
However, many women still crave flexibility. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “In 2023, 82.0 percent of employed mothers with children ages 6 to 17 worked full time compared with 77.2 percent of mothers with children under age 6.” Mothers with younger children are less likely to prefer full-time work, which represents a need for diverse career options for women.
During the most recent presidential campaign, Trump proposed multiple initiatives that would help women find this flexibility, such as legislating “baby bonuses,” building “freedom cities,” and lowering the cost of home building, all to alleviate some economic burden on families.
KAROLINE LEAVITT PROMISES TO REVEAL MORE ‘RECEIPTS’ ON BEHALF OF DOGE
While these policies aren’t meant solely for women, they indirectly improve women’s opportunities, relieving economic pressures on the workforce and providing women more opportunities to choose the lifestyle they desire, whether it’s a path similar to Leavitt and Wiles or their own.
The president’s proposals could remove barriers hindering women’s autonomy, inspire women to forego the progressive narrative of their success, and help them embrace the lifestyle that will leave them and their families with lasting fulfillment. This is opportunity feminism, the idea that women have the autonomy to define success based on their beliefs, free from societal constructs and economic coercion.
Paris Apodaca is a participant in the Network of enlightened Women’s 2024 Opportunity Feminism Course.