This White House advisor known for anti-feminist statements has just been assigned to work on women’s issues
As power continues to shift in Trump’s administration, a new change on issues management has a lot of people raising their eyebrows. As reported by Politico, speechwriter and POTUS-advisor Stephen Miller is gaining traction, and now is being tasked with working on women’s issues and family leave.
Based on previous statements, the 31-year-old is a vocal anti-feminist, who got his start writing controversial columns for the Duke University newspaper. Among his statements are several that discount the gender pay gap, despite significant research and scientific findings to the contrary.
Miller has been working closely with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the Office of American Innovation. Now he’s tasked with handling women’s issues, including family leave and childcare, alongside Ivanka Trump.
Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, took to Twitter to air her grievances and point out Miller’s stances. She tweeted several lines from his Duke column “Sorry, Feminists” including “the pay gap has virtually nothing to do with gender discrimination.” She also tweeted his thoughts on family leave from the same article, in which he wrote “provide powerful incentives for bosses-male or female-not to hire women to begin with.”
Steven Miller who once said he wouldn't b comfortable a male babysitter Or seeing women carry heavy steel pillars 2 construction site. /7
— Ilyse Hogue (@ilyseh) April 14, 2017
Steven Miller who once said feminists wld say this outlook makes him chauvinist. But they'd b wrong. It's not chauvinism. It's chivalry. /8
— Ilyse Hogue (@ilyseh) April 14, 2017
Miller also writes that closing the pay gap would mean women compromise their roles as mothers.
“It's vital to keep in mind what it would actually mean for women if we were to close the pay gap. For many, it would mean giving up a noble career in social working or putting in 50- and 60-hour work weeks and not being able to spend time with the family. It would mean trading in jobs like housekeeping for night shifts doing road repairs; it would mean giving up the joy of being home during your child's first years of life.
Miller’s new role exemplifies the continued lack of progressive, or even moderate, female and feminist voices in the Trump administration. With protections for women being rolled back, healthcare regulations removed, and the president himself going out of his way to defend other men from multiple claims of sexual harassment, it’s pretty clear Miller’s new task is another step in the same direction.
