There hasn’t been much time since Donald Trump returned for his second term, but women have already raised their voices regarding their issues. The women have become concerned about their daily lives which hasn’t been smooth as they are coming across several financial and social challenges.
On the subreddit r/AskWomenOver30, user Coffeeja asked how the lives of women have changed since the re-election of President Donald Trump, to which there are several responses circling financial anxiety, growing fear, and resilience in the face of uncertainty.
A question for Americans – how has your life changed since the election???
byu/coffeeja inAskWomenOver30
Economic Anxiety and Job Losses
Besides, the sweeping policy changes, as well as Donald Trump’s tariffs, have already been causing problems across industries. Several small-scale businesses, as well as freelancers, have reported unprecedented slowdowns. “Since November, our work has been the slowest it’s ever been in nine years,” one woman wrote. “We work in travel, which is even worse than during COVID.”
Also, there are fears regarding layoffs from jobs due to Trump’s rollback of labor protections. These concerns raised eyebrows recently when his administration decided to fire National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) leaders, eventually weakening protection against workplace discrimination and affecting the women of the country inappropriately.
A federal worker’s spouse voiced their frustration: “My husband is a federal worker. All our extracurricular spending is gone. No eating out, no shopping. We don’t know if he’ll have a paycheck next month.”
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Civil Rights Setbacks
Recently, Trump decided to get rid of Executive Order 11246, which used to protect the federal contract workers administration, and this has left women to work in an environment where bias has been a major concern.
A transgender woman described the struggle her husband faced: “His passport was denied because the gender marker on his license didn’t match his birth certificate. The office told us they were ordered to stop processing gender marker change requests. Now we’re stuck, unsure of our next step.”
Community Resilience and Adaptation
Despite the challenges emerging for women, many are finding strength in their community. Some women invest in mutual aid networks and work smartly to craft local support systems and strengthen their neighborhood ties. “I’m scared, but I’m not going anywhere,” one woman declared. “It’s important to strengthen the connections that hold a community together.” And on the other hand, people are turning to practical preparations by reinforcing things, like stocking up on supplies, creating contingency plans, planting gardens, etc.
Trump’s contingency plans are indeed affecting women, but still, people remain vigilant. Fear and uncertainty have been prevalent here, but resilience and determination are also seen among the fighters. “I’m doing my best to keep my vibration high despite everything,” one woman concluded.