Half of the eight women appointed to high-level cabinet and senior positions during US President Donald Trump's second term have resigned or been dismissed, with all of them replaced by men, according to a Guardian analysis.
The departures have drawn attention to differences in how the administration has handled female officials and male colleagues who have faced scrutiny over their conduct or performance.
Among the women who have left their positions are former White House press secretaries Katie Zacharia and Karoline Leavitt, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and former US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles remains in office as the first woman to hold the position.
Katie Zacharia: Fired after five days as press secretary
Zacharia was fired on 16 October 2026, after five days as White House press secretary. Her brief tenure began with a widely criticised first White House press briefing. She also faced questions after "admitting she did not pass the bar exam", prompting a dispute over whether she could describe herself as a lawyer or attorney.
The controversy "placed her in a pickle – even with the right-wing cable network Fox News", according to the analysis.
Karoline Leavitt: Resigned to spend more time with family
Leavitt resigned as White House press secretary in August 2026 after 20 months in the role. She said she was leaving "so she could spend more time with her young family". Zacharia subsequently replaced her.
Kristi Noem: Dismissed after controversy over deportation campaign
Noem was dismissed as homeland security secretary on 5 March 2026, becoming what the analysis described as "the first domino to fall" among female cabinet members.
Noem had been the public face of Trump's mass deportation campaign. Her tenure came under scrutiny after federal immigration operations in Minneapolis resulted in the deaths of two US citizens. Noem labelled one of them a "domestic terrorist" without providing evidence.
The analysis identified a congressional hearing over a $220 million advertising contract encouraging immigrants to "self-deport" as a turning point. The campaign prominently featured Noem on horseback, and she implied during the hearing that Trump knew about the contract, reportedly leaving him "pissed".
After her dismissal, Noem was reassigned to the "Shield of the Americas" coalition before moving to a "vaguely defined advisory role". Markwayne Mullin replaced her as homeland security secretary.
Pam Bondi: Removed after disputes over Epstein files
Bondi was pushed out as attorney general in April 2026 after 14 months in office. Trump had grown frustrated with her "mishandling of the Department of Justice's long-awaited release of the Epstein files", which alienated his political base, as well as his belief that she "failed to sufficiently prosecute his political enemies".
Bondi disclosed a diagnosis of thyroid cancer a month after leaving office. Her deputy, Todd Blanche, assumed the attorney general position in August.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer: Resigned amid misconduct investigation
Chavez-DeRemer stepped down as labour secretary in April 2026 following an inspector general investigation into allegations of misconduct, including "having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job".
Keith Sonderling replaced her.
Tulsi Gabbard: Resigned after being sidelined, reports say
Gabbard resigned as director of national intelligence in May 2026. She cited "her husband's rare cancer diagnosis", while reports indicated she was pushed out after being "largely sidelined as Trump launched attacks on Venezuela and Iran".
Gabbard had previously testified to Congress that Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon, contradicting the administration's position. Bill Pulte succeeded her temporarily before Jay Clayton took over the role.
Kimberly Guilfoyle: Asked to step down as ambassador
Guilfoyle was asked to step down as US ambassador to Greece in October 2026 after weeks of press reports that she "sought payment from a Trump donor in exchange for access to administration officials".
Susie Wiles: Remains as White House chief of staff
Wiles remains in office as the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff. Her position came into question after reports that Trump was considering replacing her.
Trump denied the reports, saying: "She's gonna be here for a long time".
Questions over different treatment of officials
The departures have prompted comparisons with the treatment of male officials who have faced allegations or criticism but remained in their positions.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has faced scrutiny over war crime allegations and leaked group chats, while FBI Director Kash Patel has faced allegations that he was intoxicated or absent from work, according to the analysis.
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised what she described as a disparity in the administration's treatment of men and women.
"If you're a man in the Trump administration, it seems that they reward misconduct," she said.
The analysis also cited Trump's comments in a 2018 interview about feminism.
"I wouldn't say I'm a feminist... I mean, I think that would be, maybe, going too far. I'm for women. I'm for men. I'm for everyone," he said.