Mike Pence Tweeted About International Women's Day, & The Irony Is Unbelievable
Women get one day a year to get a little appreciation and some claps for all of the hard work and spectacular things that have contributed to the world. So on International Women's Day, the vice president apparently decided that he too wanted to take some time out to appreciate everything that women have done. But, uh, coming from him the message maybe isn't what he intended. Mike Pence's tweet about International Women's Day is unbelievably ironic. Seriously, I can't.
On the afternoon of March 8, Pence tweeted that the contributions of women to "our economy our communities, & our Nation," don't go unnoticed. Not just on a day when we are supposed to celebrate those accomplishments, but on all days. He then went onto say, (and here's where the irony sets in), that the Trump administration would "strive to empower women across America to keep making a profound impact." The whole tweet read,
Today, on #InternationalWomensDay - and ALL days - we recognize the countless contributions women have made to our economy, our communities, & our Nation. The Trump Admin will continue to strive to empower women across America to keep making a profound impact.
Mm-hm.
See, the ironic part is Pence has not exactly been known to be empowering towards women.
In 1997, Pence penned a letter to The Indianapolis Star claiming that households with working mothers lead to "stunted emotional growth." He wrote,
For years, we have gotten the message from the mouthpieces of the popular culture that you can have it all, career, kids and a two-car garage. The numbers in this federally funded study argue that the converse is true. Sure, you can have it all, but your day-care kids get the short end of the emotional stick. ... I am criticizing a culture that has been sold the big lie that 'Mom doesn't matter.'
Translates to: "Women belong in the home."
Moving onto what Pence has said while in office. On Feb. 27, during a luncheon with anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony List & Life Institute, Pence predicted that abortion will "end in our time."
"I know in my heart of hearts this will be the generation that restores life in America," said Pence.
The vice president then went onto praise all of the progress the Trump administration has done in terms of abortion. Which includes signing a bill that reverses Obama-era legislation blocking states from defunding Planned Parenthood.
So, the responses were not enthusiastic.
The Trump administration in general doesn't have the greatest track record either.
In October 2017 Trump did away with an Obama-era policy that required companies to provide free birth control under the Affordable Care Act. Instead, more employers and insurers could deny contraceptive coverage under "religious or moral objections," according to TIME. Not only can employers deny such coverage if they have a staunch religious belief against contraception, but cost-free birth control becomes even harder to access for women because companies can also claim a "moral conviction," making it that much easier for an employer to stand between women and birth control.
Taking away access to cost-free birth control could be detrimental to women's economic and social advancement. According to Planned Parenthood, a third of the wage gains that women have earned since the 1960s is thanks to access to oral contraceptives. A report from the organization said that while there is still a wage gap between men and women, the difference between men and women's pay was 10% smaller in the 1980s and 30% smaller in the 1990s than it would have been birth control. Having access to birth control under the age of 21 has shown to keep women in college, according to Planned Parenthood.
Another policy that affects women and got paused once Trump came into office was a provision to help achieve equal pay, which Trump rolled back in August 2017. The Obama-era rule was meant to shrink the gender wage gap by requiring large companies to breakdown what they pay by race and gender and report it to the government, so that the government has the data and can contend with and work to close the wage gap, according to The Washington Post.
The wage gap is a pressing issue for women — but if you don't even know what women are getting paid in comparison with their male counterparts, how do you go about finding a solution? Trying to hide the problem doesn't seem very empowering to me.
Basically, the policies that this administration has managed to dip its feet into have severely impacted women on a day-to-day basis and stunted their progression forward. So Pence, I know you are trying to get in on those hashtags, but maybe stay away from the ones that have to do with empowering women next time. OK?
