'I'm a woman': Danielle Smith defends naming cabinet with 81% men

Alberta's premier fought back Monday against criticism she's facing for naming a male-dominated cabinet with just 19 per cent female ministers.

Danielle Smith announced the changes Friday and cabinet members were sworn in Monday. Alberta's cabinet has 27 members, including Smith, with 22 men and five women.

Some are also upset with the new United Conservative Party leader for moving the Status of Women file down from an associate ministry to a role for a parliamentary secretary.

"As for Status of Women, I'm a woman. I have four senior cabinet ministers who are women," Smith said of Sonya Savage, Rajan Sawhney, Rebecca Schulz and Adriana LaGrange.

"If people think that there is any danger that women are not going to be represented, then I would ask that they just look at the composition that we have."

Equal Voice Calgary, a group that works to get more women elected, said it was "disappointed" by the lack of gender diversity in Smith's cabinet. NDP Leader Rachel Notley shared the group's tweet, adding Smith made a "horrible decision."

A gender and women's studies professor at the University of Alberta said the premier created a "dudebro cabinet" and called changes to Status of Women "the latest chapter in the UCP's war on women."

"'Anti-gender' ideology is a core component of right-wing populism," Lise Gotell tweeted Friday.

Smith said that Tanya Fir, the new parliamentary secretary for Status of Women, "will be able to elevate any issues that I need to be aware of."

But a political science professor agreed with critics that Smith's cabinet decisions are not a good look and could hurt her party in a general election next spring.

Notley and Jason Kenney both had smaller cabinets and a higher percentage of women in them.

"More women and people of colour were removed from cabinet than replaced. So she's comparing negatively to not only Jason Kenney but previous premiers," said Lori Williams with Mount Royal University.

"Again it raises questions about diversity and equity. That may appeal to a base that doesn't want things like equity to be the reason for cabinet appointments, but representation of those perspectives and voices at the cabinet table can be quite important to generating support."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Saif Kaisar