According to a list circulated by the White House, President Donald Trump has asked two successful chief executives to talk about women in the workplace today—and they’re both men.
Donald Trump has hired two men to advise him on 'Women in the Workforce.' https://t.co/ZdOLj6mXD5 pic.twitter.com/DGaqp137HT
— Steph Auerbach (@StephLauren) February 2, 2017
Dough McMillon, the CE of Wal-Mart Stores, and Mark Weinberger, the CE of Ernest & Young, will speak on the topic “Women in the Workforce” at a Trump-led meeting about boosting hiring and economic growth. The two were also among the guests at Ivanka Trump’s dinner party last night, in which high-power CEOs discussed topics like paid family leave.
For their part, both McMillon and Weinberger have mostly kept quiet about their personal feelings on Trump’s policies and ideas. Back in December, Weinberger was “optimistic” about a Trump presidency, but just two days ago, expressed that the president’s immigration ban will “impact our ability to work as a globally connected organization.”
Trump’s choosing of Weinberg is not only questionable because of his gender but also because Wal-Mart has long been plagued with allegations of discriminatory work policies. In 2001, the lawsuit Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. claimed that women are treated unfairly in comparison to their male coworkers. According to the NAACP, “women assert that pay and promotion policies at Wal-Mart systematically disadvantage female employees.”
The president is also no stranger to allegations of sexism and making decisions about women without the input of many women. Just today, he came under fire for reportedly suggesting that female staffers need to dress “like women” in the White House.