Throughout the 2016 campaign there was much attention on women’s issues. The Democratic Party became the first major political party to nominate a woman. The Republican Party nominated a political outsider who promised to restore American to greatness. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, it can’t be denied that women’s issues, from health care to equal pay, are still, and maybe even more so, at the forefront of politics. Three particular issues: abortion, equal pay, and paid-leave have become particular important topics over the 2016 campaign, and now into the Trump administration.
Abortion and Planned Parenthood
On the campaign trail Trump acknowledged the millions who receive help from Planned Parenthood, but vowed to defund it due to its abortion services.
“As far as Planned Parenthood is concerned, I’m pro-life, I’m totally against abortion having to do with Planned Parenthood,” the GOP front-runner said on Thursday. “But millions and millions of women — cervical cancer, breast cancer — are helped by Planned Parenthood. So you can say whatever you want, but they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood that are helped greatly.”
Vice President Pence became the first Vice President to attend the “March for Life,” a march in favor of the pro-life movement; Pence has been open with how his Catholic “faith informs [his] life” which led to the gutting of PP funding in his state of Indian. Additionally, Pence has stated that he would love to “see Roe v. Wade consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs.”
Trump also promised to nominate a pro-life justice, and has since chosen Neil Gorsuch, a judge known to read the Constitution conservatively. However, Gorsuch has never actually ruled on the constitutionality of abortion or been vocal about his stance on the matter, although many of Gorsuch’s high-profile cases have been centered on religious freedoms. Questions during his confirmation hearing will help provide more information on Gorsuch’s views.
Many Americans are concerned with what the consequences of defunding Planned Parenthood clinics will do to women’s health in this country – as many women rely on the centers for basic care and birth control.
Equal Pay
Trump was hesitant to outwardly support equal pay on the campaign trail as he was initially skeptical of the idea that men and women were paid different salaries for the same work. When asked about equal pay Trump commented, “You’re gonna make the same if you do as good a job” but noted that making this happen would be hard to implement. However, Trump has recognized the difficulty in categorizing what equal work is. He said, “When you have to categorize men and women into a particular group and a particular pay scale, it gets very — because people do different jobs.” Simply put, when in the same job position, men and women should be paid the same.
In support of her father, Ivanka Trump, spoke at the Republican National Convention and said “as President, my father will change the labor laws that were put into place at a time when women were not a significant portion of the workforce.” We can only hope the President will make equal pay a priority during his four years.
Paid-family leave
In September, Trump announced he would guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave through the promise that mothers can collect unemployment for that time before heading back to work. This was the first time a Republican nominee made such a promise. The United States is one of the few developed countries that does not guarantee paid-leave for parents, but some companies, like Facebook and Netflix have already developed generous paid-leave policies. His plan also includes reducing the average cost of childcare through tax deductions, currently parents can deduct up to $6,000 and Trump promised to increase that number. So far in his presidency, there have been no official word on progress with these plans.
Controversially, Trump’s plan did not include fathers or parents who foster or adopt children – which would be a setback to LBGTQ families. In addition it is still unclear if there is enough support in Congress to pass any maternity or paternity leave laws.
Lastly, Trump’s daughter Ivanka, an advocate for women through her Women who Work campaign provides an interesting dimension to the administration. Her move to Washington suggests she could be involved in policies targeting women.