5 Things Ivanka Trump Could Do Right Now on Equal Pay

The following article by Jocelyn Frye and Kaitlin Holmes was posted on the Center for American Progress website August 24, 2017:

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) shakes hands before the start of an event to commemorate Women’s Equality Day on August 22, 2017, in San Francisco. Credit:  AP/Eric Risberg

The Trump administration’s first eight months have largely been devoid of any concrete steps toward achieving equal pay. No meaningful administrative actions have been taken to improve pay practices, strengthen equal pay protections, or fight wage discrimination. Instead, the administration has taken action that will make matters worse for women and families: Shortly before this year’s Equal Pay Day, President Donald Trump quietly rescinded the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order—a key Obama administration rule requiring greater pay transparency to help workers ensure accuracy in their pay. The end result has been a critical vacuum of leadership and proactive administration efforts to advance equal pay at a time when combating pay discrimination remains a persistent challenge for both men and women.

While Ivanka Trump has made passing references to her support for equal pay and has touted her father’s commitment to the issue, this support in practice has amounted to little more than lip service. There are important actions that Ivanka Trump, the administration’s unofficial point person on women’s issues, could pursue right now to make a difference on equal pay. Here are just five possibilities. Continue reading “5 Things Ivanka Trump Could Do Right Now on Equal Pay”