Op-Ed: Women Are Being 'Erased' at Work

A few years ago, the mantra "believe women" was in vogue. Today, that has morphed into "erase women," writes reporter Joanne Lipman in a New York Times opinion piece. Lipman argues that the Trump administration's DEI crackdown has turned discussions about women in the workplace into "a toxic topic that is too politically charged to touch." Organizations and companies fearful of drawing the administration's wrath have gone to "absurd" lengths to overcompensate—think scrubbing references to "women" and "female" in grant applications that focus on, say, maternal health. The administration says it's all in the name of eliminating gender-based discrimination. "But in practice, President Trump's allies have questioned whether women deserve a place in the work force at all."

Drawing on her 15 years of covering women in the workplace, sees "a fun-house mirror moment" at play in which companies that used to clog her inbox with boasts about championing female employees now won't talk about the issue at all—even if they are still pushing such programs on the downlow. The "problem is that silencing the conversation risks undoing years of progress at a time when women are still underrepresented in business and public life," writes Lipman. She also points to the "stunning" refusal of the US to back a routine UN affirmation of its commitment to "gender equality." Lipman warns that this pattern echoes how authoritarian leaders abroad roll back women's rights—and, she argues, democracy along with them. Read the full piece.