There aren't many women at the very top levels of government, academia and industry... so lets not put women in positions at the very top levels of government, academia and industry. OK. Even though there's plenty of vastly over qualified women working at jobs below their level. Very good, very solid logic. Not circular at all.
I never said not to put them in the top levels of government, academia and industry. If women deserve it, give them those promotions and put them there. Being in the cabinet is a promotion ABOVE the upper echelons of government/academia/industry. What it seems like you're saying is we should skip the cream of the crop and look deeper because there's a lot of women who are working at jobs below their level? I find it hard to believe that, for instance, the absolute #1 pick for Secretary of Energy won't be found among the small, elite group of energy company CEOs, nobel-prize winning scientists, or governors/congressmen who've made dramatic progress on energy-related issues. We have several such people in the United States. Most of them are men. Should we skip over them and go searching through Solyndra VPs or assistant professors at state universities or random congresswomen on the off chance that one of them has enormous talent that just hasn't been recognized or given the opportunity to blossom? I'd rather she just pick one of the really really good people.
This is why women continue not to be given a chance. The women can't possibly do worse than all the men that have had high level government positions over the past couple of generations.
