• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPWMost Powerful Women

This Is What Women Can Expect From a Donald Trump Presidency

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 10, 2016, 12:48 PM ET

It’s official: Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States.

While many are still in shock over one of the biggest upsets in recent political history, the most practical observers are already looking ahead to what Trump will do once he’s in office. What will his presidency mean for Americans—and, more specifically, for American women?

Based on what Trump said on the stump, as well as on the positions laid out in the Republican National Committee platform, here’s an educated guess about what women can expect from the next four years:

Subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

Restricted abortion access in certain states

During the final presidential debate last month, Trump, who describes himself as “very pro-life,” promised to nominate Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 reproductive rights decision that protects a woman’s right to end her pregnancy. “That will happen automatically in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court,” he said. If the law were overturned, Trump said the decision of whether or not to allow abortions would “go back to the states.”

In March, Trump insinuated that women who receive abortions illegally should be punished. “There has to be some form of punishment,” should the procedure be banned in the U.S., he said in an interview with MSNBC host Chris Matthews.

Trump has also promised to sign the Hyde Amendment into permanent law. The amendment bars the use of certain federal funds to pay for abortion, except in order to save the life of the mother or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape.

Planned Parenthood defunded

In a letter to pro-life voters, Trump promised to defund women’s health organization Planned Parenthood “as long as they continue to perform abortions.” Instead, he wrote, he would reallocate funding to “community health centers that provide comprehensive health care for women.”

That’s not to say that the next commander-in-chief doesn’t see value in the organization. In February, he noted that “they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood that are helped greatly”—though he said he would not budge on the abortion issue.

Six weeks of maternity leave

This September, Donald Trump broke with the GOP in a big way by announcing a plan to provide birth mothers and adoptive mothers with six weeks of paid leave. While the proposal is a vast improvement over the U.S.’s current policy (or lack thereof), critics have pointed out that it lags behind paid leave policies in other developed countries.

Trump hasn’t yet specified what rate of their full pay women would receive, although he has said that women’s maternity leave pay would consist of unemployment benefits and has pegged the average weekly payout at $300. In the second quarter of 2016, the median weekly earnings for female full-time wage and salary workers was $744.

The proposal completely leaves out fathers—particularly problematic for men in same-sex relationships.

Tax breaks for child and elder-care

Trump plans to rewrite the tax code to allow working parents making less than $250,000 a year to deduct from their income taxes childcare expenses for up to four children and elderly dependents. He also proposes creating specialized savings accounts—these would have tax-deductible contributions and tax-free appreciation—so that families can “set aside extra money to foster their children’s development and offset elder care for their parents or adult dependents.”

The president-elect also promises to add incentives for employers to provide childcare at the workplace, though he doesn’t specify how.

Little progress on sexual harassment

In an August interview, Trump said that women who are sexually harassed at work have three options: Take action within the company, leave while seeking retribution, or quit.

“I think it’s got to be up to the individual,” said the president-elect, who has himself been accused of sexual harassment (he has denied all allegations). “It also depends on what’s available. There may be a better alternative; then there may not. If there’s not a better alternative, then you stay. But it could be there’s a better alternative where you’re taken care of better.”

When asked what he would want his daughter Ivanka to do if she were harassed, Trump said: “I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case.”

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

burke
ConferencesAthletic Gear
The CEO of Trek Bicycle reads 52 books a year, hates smartphones, and thinks Milton Friedman was wrong
By Nick LichtenbergMay 6, 2026
23 hours ago
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash
C-SuiteRetail
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash
By Phil WahbaApril 30, 2026
7 days ago
Emma Grede, who helped found the $5 billion Skims empire, rejects ‘celebrity CEO’ label: ‘I’m a CEO who’s done so well you know my name’
SuccessEntrepreneurship
Emma Grede, who helped found the $5 billion Skims empire, rejects ‘celebrity CEO’ label: ‘I’m a CEO who’s done so well you know my name’
By Cheyann HarrisApril 29, 2026
8 days ago
She left Citigroup after 18 years as one of its top women. Why Ida Liu chose HSBC as her next move
NewslettersMPW Daily
She left Citigroup after 18 years as one of its top women. Why Ida Liu chose HSBC as her next move
By Nicholas GordonApril 27, 2026
10 days ago
Trek spent over $300,000 closing women’s cycling’s prize-money gap. Its CEO says the point is to make the checks obsolete
MPWSports
Trek spent over $300,000 closing women’s cycling’s prize-money gap. Its CEO says the point is to make the checks obsolete
By Catherina GioinoApril 26, 2026
11 days ago
Meet the founder who started over at 50 and worked 20-hour days to build a multimillion dollar cookie dough empire—and still won’t take a day off
EuropeFortune The Good Life
Meet the founder who started over at 50 and worked 20-hour days to build a multimillion dollar cookie dough empire—and still won’t take a day off
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 26, 2026
11 days ago

Most Popular

A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
Magazine
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
1 day ago
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
Success
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
By Emma BurleighMay 5, 2026
2 days ago
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: avoid retiring early, study finds
Economy
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: avoid retiring early, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergMay 5, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Zuckerberg once gave a Facebook engineer startup advice at 2 a.m. while 'hanging out with all the interns'—she quit and raised millions after
Success
Mark Zuckerberg once gave a Facebook engineer startup advice at 2 a.m. while 'hanging out with all the interns'—she quit and raised millions after
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 6, 2026
17 hours ago
Dario Amodei spent last year warning of an AI white-collar bloodbath. Now he's changing the narrative
Economy
Dario Amodei spent last year warning of an AI white-collar bloodbath. Now he's changing the narrative
By Nick LichtenbergMay 5, 2026
2 days ago
AI could solve America's $39 trillion debt crisis—but only if Washington abandons displaced workers, Yale Budget Lab warns
Economy
AI could solve America's $39 trillion debt crisis—but only if Washington abandons displaced workers, Yale Budget Lab warns
By Jake AngeloMay 6, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.