INDEPENDENT WOMEN’S FORUM RESPONSE TO IVANKA TRUMP’S PRO-WORKING FAMILIES CONVENTION SPEECH

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Women’s Forum, the leading economic think tank focused on improving women’s economic prospects without growing government, released the following statement following Ivanka Trump’s RNC speech. Carrie Lukas, IWF managing director, said: 

"Last night Ivanka Trump spoke directly to demographics her father needs to win: millennials and women. She spoke compelling about her father’s commitment to equal pay as a business leader, his history of employing women to leadership positions, and his desire to help working women—particularly working mothers—with challenges like paying for child care if elected President.

"Ivanka correctly pointed out that it’s different factors like motherhood, not gender alone, that are associated with lower pay for women. Rather than stating the debunked wage-gap statistic, she should have explained that a mother’s lower pay isn’t just an outcome of discrimination, but rather a result of the different choices that women with children tend to make about work, by working fewer hours, commuting less, and with more stable schedules. .

"Most importantly Ivanka succeeded in showing the audience that these aren’t just one-party issues. In fact, as the Independent Women’s Forum detailed in our Working for Women report, there are dozens of conservative policy reforms that can help women, including providing more protection for equal pay without needlessly growing government or encouraging frivolous litigation.

"Ivanka also noted that childcare is a major burden for too many working women and more needs to be done to help parents, particularly those with lower incomes.

"As the Trump campaign moves to offer more specifics, they must distinguish themselves from Hillary Clinton who seeks to solve this problem by pouring federal subsidies into daycare centers. A far better approach would be to focus on helping working parents themselves, by expanding the child tax credit, so they can afford whatever childcare option they choose. This includes keeping a parent at home or relying on another family member to help out during working hours.

"Republicans need to engage in these issues, demonstrate to women that they understand their concerns, and offer a plan to help. Ivanka’s speech was a good start. It creates an opportunity for Republicans to go the next step by laying out a positive, conservative policy agenda for improving women’s lives."

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