Throughout the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden went out of his way to appeal to women, whether by picking Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate or pushing the "Biden agenda for women." These symbols and rhetoric, much like the rest of the Biden presidency, have proven to be empty. From economic policy to education, the administration is advancing policies that restrict opportunities for women.
Many women who expected a big boost coming out of the pandemic-induced recession have been unpleasantly surprised. The policies of the Biden administration are limiting America's recovery and are making it difficult for women, who were hit particularly hard by the pandemic, to find jobs.
Instead of removing roadblocks from the economy, the administration is doubling down on job-killing policies. The government expanded welfare payments and eligibility at the height of the pandemic. But now Biden is unwilling to stop paying many workers $20 an hour not to work. Unsurprisingly, many women haven’t re-entered the labor force, and small businesses are struggling to stay fully staffed.
Patty Baird, who owns a hotel in California, is struggling to find enough employees while coping with a months-long delay in obtaining critical items like an air-conditioning unit. The end of the pandemic was supposed to be a boon for female entrepreneurs like Baird, but flawed government policies have prevented these dreams from coming to fruition.
While the administration is stumbling in getting Americans back to work, it is succeeding at spending taxpayer funds on extravagant stimulus packages. This wasteful spending is contributing to inflation rising close to five percent, which is causing stock prices to fall.
Women are feeling the pinch as reporting shows that some women are considering quitting their jobs and staying home with their children because the price of daycare has risen substantially. Inflation is particularly worrisome for women because it creates extra uncertainty and makes it even more difficult for women to re-enter the workforce because businesses are preparing for runaway inflation. The administration knew the consequences of spending trillions on stimulus packages, but President Biden still signed the bill.
Adding insult to injury, Biden's administration is also limiting opportunities for women by targeting private colleges that cater to women, minorities and veterans. Recent news reports recently revealed how a few, strident education activists consistently attack career colleges by imposing a litany of burdensome regulations on targeted schools while threatening their closure. These efforts demonstrate a years-long pattern by activists - some of whom face questions regarding their poor ethical behavior - of targeting private colleges and the people who run them, even though many of these private colleges outperform public colleges and achieve better outcomes than public colleges.
Private colleges are important for women because they offer flexible programs that cater to what the individual needs. Many women don't want to return to school full-time and have familial obligations to juggle. Career-focused colleges are often designed with these students in mind and offer a wide range of options, including classes that meet online or in the evening. Indiscriminately attacking private schools, whether non-profit or for-profit, forces women to either skip college or attend an inflexible public option that doesn't offer the classes they need.
Coming out of the pandemic, it is important to provide women with opportunities to grow and pursue their passions. We are facing a labor shortage, and the best way to address the current skills gap is to encourage innovative solutions, not shut them down.
Women who voted for Biden because they believed his promises are left muttering the president's catchphrase, "c'mon man." Instead of fighting to create more economic and educational opportunities for women, the Biden administration has become a millstone for women just trying to get by and the president’s campaign rhetoric and promises to support women have not matched his agenda.
Teri Christoph is co-founder of Smart Girl Politics, host of the Smart Girl Politics podcast and a longtime fundraising consultant.