The Best-Kept Secret: Women Corporate Lobbyists, Policy, and Power in the United States
Denise Benoit
From lobbyists such as Jack Abramoff, to corporate executives, like  Enron's Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, recent scandals dealing with  politics and government have focused only on men at the top. But do  these high-profile men accurately represent the gendered make up of  corporate-government in the United States?In this first in-depth look  at the changing face of corporate lobbying, Denise Benoit shows how  women who have historically worked mostly in policy areas relating to  "women's issues" such as welfare, family, and health have become  increasingly influential as corporate lobbyists, specializing in what  used to be considered "masculine" policy, such as taxes and defense.  Benoit finds that this new crop of female lobbyists mobilize both  masculinity and femininity in ways that create and maintain trusting,  open, and strong relations with those in government, and at the same  time help corporations to save and earn billions of dollars.While the  media focuses on the dubious behaviors of men at the top of business and  government, this book shows that female corporate lobbyists are indeed  one of the best kept secrets in Washington.