A clothing company aligned with Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, has no paid maternity leave policy. The G-III Apparel Group, which holds the license in the design and distribution of Ivanka Trump's clothing label, follows only the minimum maternity leave requirements set by the federal government and critics of the Trumps have been lapping up this fact.
According to Fortune, G-III Apparel Group allows for "12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave" as this is the minimum federal requirement for a company with 50 employees at most. It brings to fold what critics observe about Ivanka Trump's previous statements regarding women in the workplace.
"Policies that allow women with children to thrive should not be novelties," Ivanka Trump said in her speech during the Republican National Convention held in July, per Vanity Fair. She also told the crowd her father would ensure that women are valued in the workforce if Donald Trump wins as president.
She insisted her father upholds the rights of working women, despite the many criticisms that he's sexist. However, critics note that Ivanka Trump couldn't even push the same improvements in companies that hold her business.
Ivanka Trump: My dad’s critics are "scared" https://t.co/2xEWXHRQib pic.twitter.com/ZNI6raHEGh
— The Hill (@thehill) August 9, 2016
An employee with G-III Apparel Group attested that when she got pregnant, she used up her vacation days and the family's savings during her maternity leave because the company didn't offer such benefits. The employee lamented that post-pregnancy recovery is already hard for many mothers, but having unpaid maternity leave makes it worse. "Returning to a company that doesn't value your choice to be a mother makes it harder," the anonymous employee said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
However, a spokesperson for Ivanka Trump clarified that G-III Apparel Group is only the licensee of Ivanka Trump's label and she doesn't even own the company. In fact, her own brand actually has an 8-week paid maternity leave in place and they are open to flexible work hours with mothers who have babies, as per Business Insider.
