Trump Hears From Men on ‘Women in the Workforce’
One of the men tasked with briefing the president on women in the workforce was Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, whose company has been sued for widespread discrimination against women workers.
President Trump was reportedly briefed by two male CEOs this morning on policies for “women in the workforce.”
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Mark Weinberger, chief executive of EY, addressed the subject during Friday morning’s meeting of chief business leaders, according to the Wall Street Journal. Female CEOs were scheduled to attend the meeting to address other topics, including regulation and trade.
A class action lawsuit brought on behalf of nearly 1.5 million women who worked at Walmart alleging that it had systematically engaged in gender discrimination was thrown out in 2011 by the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided the group did not qualify as a class.
The Court did not rule on whether Walmart was guilty of discrimination.
The following year, nearly 2,000 women from 48 states filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming the company discriminated against them. In July 2016, gender discrimination suits against Walmart were still being litigated.
Friday’s meeting was part of the “President’s Strategic and Policy Forum,” a group of CEOs convened to “meet with the President frequently to share their specific experience and knowledge as the President implements his economic agenda,” according to a December press release on the announcement put out by the Trump transition team.
“Members of the Forum will be charged with providing their individual views to the President—informed by their unique vantage points in the private sector—on how government policy impacts economic growth, job creation, and productivity,” said the release.
Trump’s campaign platform included some policies that could help women in the workplace, though critics argue his plans fall short.
His suggestion for paid family leave, for example, excluded new fathers and workers seeking paid time off to deal with their own health or that of a family member—something advocates say is critical to a robust and effective family leave policy.
Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, on Thursday hosted a dinner party for business magnates in which women in the workforce was discussed, according to a Politico report.