Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Image by Getty Images

Fears or hopes or whatever they were of Ivanka Trump serving as a behind-the-scenes first female president can probably be set aside. Donald Trump went to Jared rather than Ivanka for assistance: “‘She is busy buying a house,’ he said [in an interview quoted in the Forward]. ‘She has children so Jared will be engaged as we announced.’”

There’s something appealingly quaint about parsing the subtle sexism in these remarks. Why is Ivanka the one dealing with decor, while Jared gets to bring peace to the Middle East, which he’s totally going to do within five minutes of Trump getting into office, I’m sure? Why is it Ivanka who “has children,” as though the children she has with Jared Kushner are somehow only her responsibility? Isn’t Donald being a teensy bit gender-normative here, hmm?

We can have that conversation, but in the grand scheme of Donald Trump’s personal and political failings, from a feminist perspective, this ranks depressingly low. It shouldn’t! But alas, given all that’s going on, it does. We ought to live in a world where some of us call out subtle sexism while others of us cry overreaction. Maybe we did a few months ago. Now, not so much.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy edits the Sisterhood, and can be reached at [email protected]. Her book, The Perils of “Privilege”, will be published by St. Martin’s Press in March 2017.

"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. That’s only possible thanks to the support of readers like you. Will you support our work today?

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT