Ivanka Trump is blocking Obama's gender pay gap policy

And people aren't happy about it...

ivanka trump

And people aren't happy about it...

Ivanka Trump has always been a divisive figure but it looks like her credibility has hit an all time low this week as she went back on everything she claims to have stood for.

The 35-year-old was appointed assistant to the US president (her father) in March, and while the public questioned the move and the need for the former Gossip Girl star to have classified information clearance, her dedication to women's rights actually won a lot of the public over.

Ivanka, the author of Women Who Work, championed equal pay, promising to fight for women in the workplace - a huge reassurance after her father's presidency threatened women's reproductive and legal rights.

This week however, it emerged that Ivanka is blocking Obama's gender pay gap policy - you know, the system working towards equal pay.

Ivanka Trump

Rex
(Image credit: Rex)

The policy signed by Obama insisted that if a company hires over 100 workers, they would have to report detailed information to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, with requirements ensuring no discrimination.

Just one month before the requirements were set to start, Ivanka supported the action to block the policy, explaining that in her opinion it 'would not yield the intended results.'

From high profile figures to women's groups, people have been quick to call out this change of heart, viewing it as an attack on equal pay.

It was certainly an unexpected move, given that Ivanka championed equal pay this year, insisting that 'closing the gender pay gap is critical' - something the National Women’s Law Centre was quick to remind her of.

A photo posted by on

‘Today’s action sends a clear message to employers: if you want to ignore pay inequities and sweep them under the rug, this administration has your back,’ Fatima Goss Graves, the centre’s president and CEO, explained in a statement, calling the change ‘an all-out attack on equal pay.’

‘Based on what we’ve seen so far, there’s nothing shocking about Ivanka, self-styled champion for women, turning her back on women when it suits her or her father,’ agreed the press secretary for Emily’s List, an organisation working to get pro-choice women into public office. ‘She’s as much to blame for the relentless anti-woman agenda pushed by this administration as anyone in the White House.’

How empowering.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.