For someone who touts gender equality and claims to be fighting the fight for working moms everywhere, Ivanka Trump is not actually walking the walk. Apparently, the designers who make Ivanka’s fashion line what it is don’t actually get paid maternity leave, according to the Washington Post.
The company licensed to design and distribute the fashion line, G-III Apparel Group, only gives the 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave required by law–which doesn’t sound so progressive to me. A designer at the firm told the Post how hard it has been for her post-baby, which has also been confirmed by five current and past employees:
“It’s hard enough emotionally to come back to work right after having a baby. But to know you’re returning to a company that doesn’t value your choice to be a mother makes it harder.”
All of this means one thing: Ivanka Trump is kind of hypocritical. This is not me seeking to taint her name just because I want to or have a particular party affiliation–no, this is me just calling bullsh*t when I see it.
Ivanka started the “Women Who Work” initiative, which is a movement that is seeking to empower working women (and on her website, she gives tips on how to earn trust, resign from a job, ask for a promotion, etc). In theory, this is great. However, Ivanka only practices it in theory.
As a Jewish mom, Ivanka should know better–she understands how important it is to balance work and family, to strive to uphold Jewish traditions that she and her family deem important–which means, to give back to those around you, and make the world a better place than you found it. Hello, tikkun olam. Those are Jewish values.
There is no excuse for turning a blind eye to bad policies, just because it doesn’t directly affect you (and let’s be real: bad policies don’t affect Ivanka). It seems to me that she needs to take a step back and re-evaluate her company’s policies, and be honest with herself about the fact that she isn’t really making strides for working women–she’s just talking about making strides.
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