Reality Check: Trump's Claims Of Advances Made For Women In Workplace

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- On Thursday, President Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara, will bring the "Women For Trump" campaign to Minnesota. She will highlight advances the president says he's made possible for women in the workplace.

It's certainly a first-term highlight for Trump, so it was not surprising daughter Ivanka made working women a focus of her at the White House Republican convention speech on Aug. 25.

"Four years ago in Cleveland, I said President Trump would deliver for working women. Last year, over 70% of all new jobs were secured by women," she said.

But are the claims true?

Those numbers are not wrong. In 2019, seven out of 10 new jobs went to women. For the second time in history, women outnumbered men in the workforce. And last year's unemployment rate for women -- 3.6% -- was​ the lowest since 1953.

Those are impressive numbers, but they are from last year, before the pandemic. The status of working women now is significantly worse. Just this year, 40 million people were laid off or lost jobs. More women are losing jobs than men in restaurants, health care, and child care.

Today in Minnesota, 54% of unemployment claims are from women, compared to 46% from men. One year ago, the state unemployment rate for women was 2.6%. In July 2020, it was up to 6.9%.

The Minnesota Trump campaign says the president is "building back the economy" for women, and the millions of jobs added back as the economy recovers is "shattering expectations."

The national unemployment rate in August was down slightly, to 8.4%.
Preya Samsundar, communications and research director for the Midwest Republican National Committee, said in a statement that programs enacted with the President's support last year will help women recover from the economic crisis. Samsundar said the CARES Act provides women in the workplace additional resources listed below:
"The CARES Act provided $48 million in grants to women's business centers, more than double the $22.5 million the 125 centers received from the regular appropriations process.
These centers provide education, training, and advising to women-owned small businesses experiencing challenges in supply chain distributions, staffing, a decrease in gross receipts or customers, or closure as a result of COVID-19."
That's Reality Check.
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